Moshe ben Reizel Vered, a 17 year old youth from Beitar Illit, was swept away by sudden floodwaters during Tuesday’s severe winter storm.
By Hezy Laing
A large search‑and‑rescue operation continued Wednesday in the Modi’in Stream after Moshe ben Reizel Vered, a 17 year old youth from Beitar Illit, was swept away by sudden floodwaters during Tuesday’s severe winter storm.
According to initial reports, Moshe had been hiking in the wadi area with another teenager when a powerful surge of water struck without warning.
The second youth managed to escape and immediately alerted authorities, triggering a rapid response from emergency services across the region.
Teams from Search & Rescue Services, led by the Judea and Samaria District, deployed dozens of firefighters, search specialists, and rescue divers.
Police units, Magen David Adom medics, and volunteer groups joined the effort, while drones and thermal‑imaging equipment scanned the swollen streambed from above.
The search area extended from the entrance to Modi’in Illit deep into the twisting ravines of Nahal Modi’im, where fast‑moving water and unstable terrain complicated the mission.
Local residents gathered near the search perimeter, and prayer groups formed in Beitar Illit after the missing youth’s name was released for tehillim.
Community leaders urged the public to pray for the safe return of Moshe ben Reizel Vered as rescue teams continued working against fading daylight and dangerous conditions. Authorities said the search would continue until every possibility was exhausted.
