A man involved in a shark attack captured on video has been identified after police confirmed finding remains in the vicinity.
A video recorded from a beach in northwest Israel on April 21 shows a bystander calling emergency services during the attack, reporting that an individual had been ‘bitten’ by a shark and was ‘screaming’.
The incident occurred on Hadera beach, leading the Coastal Department to initiate a search for the individual involved in the attack.
On April 22, Cmdr. Aryeh Doron released a statement acknowledging the discovery of remains during the search, stating: “We are on the second day of searches and are using every available resource. The police commissioner has directed all forces to assist. Several findings have been sent for testing, and we await the results.”
“We are committed to doing everything we can to bring closure to the family and will continue our efforts until the missing man is located,” the statement added.
On April 23, both the police and the man’s wife confirmed his death.
Police reported that remains had been found at the scene and had been identified.
According to local media, as reported by ABC News, the shark attack victim was 45-year-old Barak Tzach, a father of four from Petah Tikva.
A Facebook post from Tzach’s wife mentioned that he had entered the water off the Mediterranean coast equipped with snorkeling gear and an underwater camera. She noted he was experienced in swimming in the sea and aimed to ‘dive and document the sharks’.
The post emphasized that Tzach did not enter the water ‘to feed them or play with’ the sharks, and claimed a fisherman accompanying him stated that Tzach did not touch or feed the sharks.
Instead, when the sharks approached closely, he tried to ‘gently distance them’ using his camera stick.
The fisherman called Tzach back to the shore, according to his wife, but as he returned, he was attacked.
Following the attack, a local police force spokesperson advised the public to ‘avoid entering the water and coming into contact with the sharks’.
Most sharks observed around Hadera are dusky sharks, which typically do not show aggression towards humans, but may react negatively to disturbances from swimmers.