Hazut was laid to rest in Beersheba Wednesday evening. Thousands attended his funeral.

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Bezalel Hazut, Asher's brother, said, "He was a good Torah scholar and I hope things will be good for him in Heaven."

Asher's sister-in-law Efrat, 30, was also injured in the lightning strike on Tuesday and is still hospitalized in serious condition, also at Barzilai Medical Center. Three other family members were injured to various degrees.

On Wednesday, messages exchanged by family members who were not with Asher and the others at the beach were made public. The first message includes a link to a news item about the lightning strike. One member of the messaging group asks, "Who is critically injured???"

The messages continue to try and clarify who had been injured, if at all. One reads, "Mom and Dad aren't answering, call Elazar [Asher's brother, who sustained moderate injuries from the lightning]."

Itamar Hazut, whose brother and sister-in-law were among the injured, recalled the events and his injured brother's heroic actions immediately after the strike: "My brother was resuscitating his wife, and tried to take care of the other three brothers, all while his hand and leg were paralyzed. They were about to head home when the lightning bolt struck them all."

Itamar, who was not with them at the beach, said, "They were walking in a line, and then everyone was thrown. My older brother Elazar was resuscitating his wife, Efrat, and saw that she was unconscious. While he was resuscitating her, he went back to our younger brothers to help them. He was calling for help, people called an ambulance, and somehow he managed to help the injured with a paralyzed arm, a paralyzed leg, and in a weakened state."

Asher's mother said her children enjoy spending time at the beach.

"They went out to have a beach day, have fun, calm down. When the rain started, they decided to go home, and then the deadly lighting struck," she said.

The bereaved mother said that her family is observant and both she and her husband are teachers in the religious school system.

"As people of faith, it's clear that this could not have been foreseen. Weather can be deadly. We are praying and we welcome the help from the people of Israel, and ask that they keep praying for our children's safety," she said.

On Wednesday, Zikim Beach was empty.

"People are afraid to come, they think the beach is cursed," members of a nearby kibbutz said.

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Magen David Adom paramedics had to resuscitate two of the family members at the scene. They were reportedly unconscious and not breathing when the first responders arrived.

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A 14-year-old boy was listed in critical condition. A woman in her 30s was listed in serious but stable condition and was in an induced coma and on a respirator. Another young man about 20 was in serious but stable condition. Two other members of the family sustained light to moderate injuries in the lightning strike.

MDA paramedic Keren Slobodnik said that when the first responders arrived, they saw two of the victims lying on the beach, unconscious. A third, she said, was "conscious but disoriented."

"The MDA team that was nearby started working to resuscitate the two who were unconscious, not breathing, and without a pulse. As soon as we arrived, we continued trying to revive the two. The heartbeat of one was restored, and we are now trying to resuscitate the other youth," Slobodnik said.

Eyewitness Guy Shlepkov, who also tried to help the injured parties, said the lighting strike was "quick and amazing."

"There weren't a lot of people on the beach. Suddenly, there was a really strong 'boom.' It's really lucky there were a few people and they called for help and started helping the injured. I ran to the lifeguard's booth and asked them to get help urgently. A few people helped out with first aid. A woman who had been hit [by the lightning] was complaining she couldn't move her legs," Shlepkov said.

Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki Heller characterized the incident as "serious and unusual."

Thunderstorms, as well as sandstorms, were being reported throughout southern Israel, from Ashkelon to Beersheba.

According to National Geographic, approximately 10% of lightning strike victims are killed, while 70% suffer long-term injuries. Some 400 people in the US survive being hit by lightning every year.

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