Hundreds of thousands of Israelis flooded the country's national parks and beaches on Saturday and Sunday in honor of the Shavuot (Pentecost) holiday.
The Nature and Parks Authority reported that the main tourist sites were Yarkon National Park, Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Nahal Senir National Park, Beit She'arim National Park, Gan Hashlosha (Sachne) National Park.
Likewise, Israel’s beaches were a hot spot for vacationers with the most popular spot being Dor Habonim Beach Nature Reserve, which reached full capacity and was forced to deny entry to further visitors.
An additional 40,000 people were reported to be at beaches along the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) throughout the weekend. Local authorities were also forced to close several beaches that were past capacity.
During the holiday, the Kinneret Authority’s implemented operation "Leave clean, leave free” – vacationers that collected three bags designated for cigarette butts, plastic bottles and general rubbish, were rewarded with free parking.