Search underway after suspected shark attack on Israeli coast

The search, launched on Monday, comes amid growing concerns over human-shark encounters in the area, where warm waters from a nearby power plant attract dusky and sandbar sharks between October and May.

Despite conservation groups urging authorities to separate swimmers and sharks, the warnings have largely gone unheeded. The beach was closed as search teams deployed boats and underwater equipment.

Shark attacks are rare in Israel, with only two previously recorded, one deadly in the 1940s.

During the Passover holiday, beachgoers shared waters with sharks, some even filmed feeding or grabbing at them.