Storm Byron Leaves at Least 2 Dead, 1 Missing in Israel, 11 Reported Dead in Gaza
By The Media Line Staff
Storm Byron brought strong winds and heavy rains throughout Israel on Wednesday night and Thursday, resulting in flooded streets, dangerous road conditions and number of fatalities. As of Friday, two in Israel died of hypothermia, one person is missing, and Palestinian sources have reported at least 11 deaths in Gaza.
A man was found dead Friday morning in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics who arrived at Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood on Friday morning reported that they found “a man around 50 lying unconscious in a puddle” on the road and declared him dead on site after determining he was cold to the touch. The death was the second attributed to hypothermia during the winter storm. On Thursday, a 53-year-old man was found dead inside his Netanya home after neighbors alerted emergency services.
Search-and-rescue efforts were ongoing nationwide as the storm caused widespread flooding. In the Dan region, police, rescue teams and volunteers continued searching for 19-year-old Eliyahu Abba Shaul, who went missing Thursday evening in Bnei Brak. Authorities said the search is focused along the Yarkon River after his clothes and motorized bicycle were found on the riverbank in Ramat Gan.
The storm also hit Gaza hard. Palestinian sources reported at least 11 weather-related deaths since Thursday, including fatalities caused by building collapses and cold exposure in displaced persons camps. Emergency agencies warned residents against sheltering in damaged structures vulnerable to collapse as heavy rain persisted.
In Beit Shemesh, bystanders rescued two young children, ages 5 and 6, who were nearly swept away in a flooded canal. Paramedics said the children were in mild condition and suffered minor frostbite.
Fire and Rescue Services reported intense activity in southern Israel, carrying out 58 separate rescue operations and saving more than 100 people trapped in flooded homes and vehicles. Operations were conducted in Ashkelon, Beit Shikma, Kiryat Gat and Nehora. In Beit Shikma, MDA teams established a temporary treatment point and evacuated seven people to a hospital, including a man in moderate condition with hypothermia symptoms.
Meteorological officials reported exceptional rainfall totals, with nearly 100 millimeters falling in parts of the southern coast and western Negev within 24 hours – more than a quarter of the region’s annual average. Flash floods led to road closures and conditions not seen since 1991 in some areas.
In Jerusalem and central Israel, flooding incidents multiplied as rainfall intensified during the afternoon, while firefighters rescued dozens of people from submerged vehicles in Yavne and surrounding areas.
MDA teams established a temporary treatment point and evacuated seven people to hospital, including a man in moderate condition with hypothermia symptoms.
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