After three days, rescuers find body of teen swept away by stream in downpour

Emergency services located the body of Moshe Lodimer, 17, on Friday, three days after he was swept away by the Nahal Modi’in stream in the West Bank during a heavy rainstorm earlier this week.

Search and rescue operations started after Lodimer’s friend, who was swept away alongside him on Tuesday but managed to escape, reported him missing in the immediate wake of the incident. According to Channel 12 News, Lodimer’s friend said he also tried to escape but was unable to.

The Fire and Rescue Service said 15 teams, comprising dozens of firefighters trained in complex rescue operations, worked around the clock alongside the Israel Police and ZAKA.

The latter said its volunteers were at the scene on Friday to assist in the handling of the body.

According to Ynet, the search spanned 20 kilometers of the river and experts made use of drones and police dogs to try to locate the missing teen. The fire service noted that the searches were conducted under difficult weather conditions, with the riverbank still flooded.

In a statement, Deputy Fire Chief Shlomi Harush emphasized that citizens must stay away from flood sites and reiterated that anyone who finds themselves near an overflowing stream, which is common during stormy weather, should immediately distance themselves for their own safety.

בתום ארבעה ימים> אסון טראגי: אותרה גופתו של הבחור משה לודמיר ז"ל שנסחף בנחל במודיעין עילית >>
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— חדשות בחדרי חרדים (@behadrei_bhol) January 16, 2026

“This was a tragic incident in which a young man lost his life,” he said. “Throughout the days of searching, we conducted frequent situation assessments, during which we divided the stream into sectors, and the rescue teams operated within these sectors to locate him.

“The searches were complex and challenging due to the heavy current in the stream and in the water crossings beneath the bridges along its course, as well as the stormy weather during the initial days of the search. Firefighters worked with dedication and a strong sense of mission for many long hours in difficult terrain in order to find the young man, employing all the technological means at our disposal.”

According to Hebrew media, Lodimer lived in the ultra-Orthodox settlement of Beitar Illit, where he studied at a local yeshiva.

“Difficult and complex days have come to an end,” said Meir Ozer, commander of the ZAKA intelligence team.

“We operated in exceptional cooperation under a unified command post,” he said, crediting divers from the Fire and Rescue Service and the Israel Police’s canine unit for aiding in the search, along with the police, the IDF, and other emergency forces.

“Sadly, this morning, the young man was located with no signs of life. ZAKA 360 volunteers are handling the scene with respect for the deceased, and we share in the family’s and friends’ profound grief.”

Flooding in rivers is a regular occurrence in Israel during the winter.

Earlier this month, four people and a horse were trapped in flooded rivers but were saved by emergency services.

In December, emergency crews rescued three members of a family whose car was caught in a flooded stream in Abu Joda, a small Bedouin hamlet on the outskirts of Kseifa, east of Beersheba.