Court remands 4 organizers in custody after soldier, 19, dies at illegal rave

The four suspected organizers of the illegal outdoor rave where 19-year-old Ariel Yoav Tzafrir collapsed and died over the weekend were remanded in custody on Sunday by the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court.

They are suspected of causing death by negligence, obstructing an investigation and operating a business without a license and will remain in custody through Wednesday.

Tzafrir, a soldier from the West Bank settlement of Barkan, died after collapsing during a party at the Pura Nature Reserve in the south on Friday, which was the hottest day recorded in Israel’s history.

According to Hebrew media reports, a preliminary investigation found police first received a call from a resident of nearby Kibbutz Ruhama at 8:50 a.m. about an outdoor party. The caller expressed concerns about a gathering being held amid the coronavirus pandemic, and his report was unconnected to Tzafrir.

A patrol car from Sderot was then dispatched to the area and made contact with the caller, who was unable to direct the officers to where the party was being held.

Around this time, another call was made to police about a party suspected of violating the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 guidelines against large gatherings. Police searched the area for around two hours, but left after failing to find it.

Police said they didn’t receive any report about Tzafrir during this time and only at 1:30 p.m. learned from the Magen David Adom ambulance service about a young man in critical condition who was brought by his friends to Route 40.

Tzafrir was rushed from there in critical condition to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where doctors were forced to pronounce his death shortly thereafter. Alcohol and drugs were found in his system and medics believe the combination of those substances, along with the extreme heat, caused his death.

The suspects later told investigators that Tzafrir first said he was feeling unwell at 6:30 a.m., but no one called for help or evacuated him. Tzafrir collapsed at 12:30 p.m., which was reported to MDA 28 minutes later, according to the Ynet news site.

Southern District Police Commander Yoram Sofer ordered an internal probe on Saturday into the force’s conduct in responding Tzafrir’s death.

“If the police had answered the calls they received to reach the party, it would have been possible to save my child. Ariel is a responsible child, he didn’t touch drugs,” Tzafrir’s mother Anat told the Kan public broadcaster.

She added: “One of the friends [who were] with him say he thought something was put in his drink. He was completely fine, [but then] within minutes he collapsed.”

Police also said the party was held in a ravine, so it would be harder for police to find.