Police, rescue services, and civilians searched throughout Thursday afternoon and into Friday for 4-year-old Yuval Kogan, who went missing on a beach in Ashkelon.
In a video posted online, Yuval’s mother Dina Kogan said: “We’ve been checking this area for almost 24 hours; it’s possible he’s not in this area. It could be that he was kidnapped, I don’t know with what motive – it could be nationalist, or maybe some psychopath took him.”
“There are police, and there are Shin Bet involved, but it’s not enough — I want everyone on their feet, I beg of you,” she said.
Kogan was last seen around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday in the area of Hofit Beach, where he was picnicking with his two sisters and father.
He was described as having a slim build and brown hair, and was wearing a green shirt at the time of his disappearance.
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According to the boy’s mother, her husband was attending to their daughters for a few minutes, and then discovered Yuval was gone.
She said he was unlikely to have gone into the water, noting he is afraid of the sea.
Yuval Kogan (left) is seen in security camera footage from the day of his disappearance near Hofit Beach in Ashkelon, July 23, 2026. His family says he was wearing a green shirt when they last saw him. (Screenshot via X)
Among those operating to find the boy were the Israel Police, the Shin Bet, and Fire and Rescue Services, using means including a helicopter and divers.
In a statement Friday, police said Commissioner Daniel Levy had been in continuous overnight contact with Southern District Commander Haim Bublil, receiving updates from the field and directing forces.
The Fire and Rescue Services said in a statement it was using firefighting ATVs, SUVs, and advanced scanning equipment.
The mostly-volunteer group United Hatzalah, also involved, said it was using “all our drones and all our technical capabilities” to find the missing child.
Ran Hilleli, a friend of Kogan’s father, told the Ynet news site: “You don’t understand how many forces were here last night, and how much they searched — rescue services and civilians. It doesn’t make sense that the boy hasn’t been found, in the water, on land, anywhere.”
“There is some understanding here that a different approach or way of thinking must be adopted,” the friend said.
Police asked the public to be alert, and to provide any useful information they may have to the 100 hotline.
Israeli police officers, rescue teams and volunteers take part in extensive search efforts for a four-year-old boy who went missing near Hofit Beach in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on July 24, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
On Friday morning, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrived at the scene with the police commissioner.
“We must do everything we can to bring this child home,” the minister said, according to Channel 12. “I am on my way to Jerusalem from here, to speak with Shin Bet chief David Zini on the matter.”
Asked whether there was a suspicion of kidnapping, Ben Gvir answered that every possibility was being looked into, the report said.
The boy’s mother also spoke with President Isaac Herzog, who told her he was in touch with the police commissioner and the head of the Shin Bet about the case.
Midday on Friday, police chief Levy arrived at the beach in Ashkelon for an assessment of the situation, together with rescuers.
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