After 48 hours, Israeli authorities have revealed that Barak Tzach from Petach Tikva was the man killed Monday by sharks in Hadera.
One of his friends, who arrived at the beach, said, "I warned him not to go into the water, and then I received the terrible news and realized we lost him. His wife kept calling me, and I didn't know what to tell her. We've known each other for more than 20 years, working and spending time together. He was supposed to be at my son's wedding in two months. It's difficult to comprehend."
Tzach, 45, married and father of four children, worked making deliveries with a truck. He was returning from Tiberias and stopped to swim with the sharks. Investigators are examining whether he tried to feed them. He had a bicycle in his truck, which he took down to the beach. Police found the bicycle and his bag, which is how they identified him.
On Monday afternoon, a report was received at Magen David Adom's emergency center about a man bitten by sharks at a beach in Hadera. Following the attack, police closed the beach for swimming until further notice. The beaches department of Hadera Municipality conducted searches using a jet ski to locate the person.
Amir, who was at the beach, said, "I heard people shouting. I approached the area, and they said a shark had attacked a person who was swimming in the water. There was commotion, and they immediately called MADA. I saw some activity in the water, but I cannot say with certainty what it was. If it were a shark, then it's very frightening, and perhaps swimming should have been prohibited at this beach."
Shlomo, an eyewitness, said, "I went to the beach with friends. We were about to enter when suddenly we saw a person thrashing in the water. We saw him struggling with a shark and trying to escape. The shark attacked him and caught him by the neck. We saw all the blood. It was difficult to watch. A very disturbing sight. It was chilling, really frightening. We actually saw how the shark attacked him. I don't understand why they don't close a beach that has sharks. That could easily have been me. All my friends are traumatized."
Another eyewitness at the beach said, "They called for him to come out, but he didn't respond. Of course he's missing; the shark devoured him. I don't believe they'll find him."
