Yifa Yaakov is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Israeli children out hiking. (photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90)
Almost half-a-million Israelis braved the scorching heat and headed out to Israel’s many national parks, trails and heritage sites on Sunday to stretch their legs and take in the sights.
Some 200,000 Israelis visited the country’s national parks and nature reserves, mostly in the North, while over 240,000 crowded the forests and parks, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) said on Sunday afternoon.
Among the most popular sites visited were the Banyas Reserve, Gan Hashlosha (Sahne), Birya Forest, the Gilboa, the Jordan River and the Hula Valley.
Israelis enjoy the Passover vacation in Northern Israel. (photo credit: Avishag Shaar Yashuv/Flash90). Another popular attraction was the recently-opened International Flower Exhibition in Haifa.
The large number of Israelis on the road led to heavy traffic jams along main arteries, Routes 4, 5 and 6 among them. In Jerusalem, some routes leading to the Old City were closed to private vehicles.
The country’s hospitals were also very busy on Sunday, with Safed’s Ziv Medical Center treating dozens of hikers suffering from dehydration, heatstroke or injury.
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According to Channel 2, a 20-year-old youth drowned in the Sea of Galilee on Sunday morning. Despite prolonged efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish family enjoying the Jewish holiday of Passover at the old city in Jerusalem. (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
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