After extensive searches that have continued since Wednesday, the body of Shlomi Banai, a 38-year-old resident of Tel Aviv, was found Friday morning in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
Banai had been missing after falling from a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) on Wednesday.
During searches conducted Friday morning by the marine police, the missing man was found lifeless. He was identified by his family, who had been accompanying the search efforts from the very first day.
Banai, a married father and a reservist, went out on Wednesday afternoon to paddleboard in the Kinneret, near Kibbutz Ginosar. He went missing after falling from the SUP. His wife is currently pregnant and expected to give birth to their second child soon.
Upon receiving the report, large forces from the northern district, the marine police unit, divers from the police rescue and recovery unit, firefighters from the Lehava unit of the Fire and Rescue Service, a helicopter from the air division, inspectors from the Kinneret municipal association, and hundreds of volunteers were deployed.
The Israel Dog Unit, a nonprofit specializing in working dogs, joined the search as well, with dogs to search the shoreline, drones, and other specialized equipment to check on and around the water.
Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that at 6:40 AM a man was pulled from the Kinneret unconscious. Paramedics performed medical examinations and pronounced him dead.
MDA paramedic Dudu Pachima said, “We joined the boat at the dock at Kfar Nahum Beach. They brought out to us a 38-year-old man who had been pulled from the water. We performed medical examinations, but he showed no signs of life and we had no choice but to declare his death.”