Four-year-old Yuval Kogan was found Friday afternoon more than 24 hours after he went missing from Hofit Beach, Ashkelon, on Thursday morning, according to a video posted to social media Friday.
Kogan was found by two horse riders who were part of the search. He was found awake and is in stable condition.
"After many hours of frantic, non-stop searches for 4-year-old Yuval Kogan, who was last seen yesterday afternoon, the missing person was located a short time ago on Nitzanim Beach, safe and sound," said the Missing Persons Unit in the Southern Region.
Volunteer teams from ZAKA Missing Persons Unit cooperated with Israel Police, emergency forces, and rescue workers, using all of the organization's search and rescue equipment to locate Kogan.
Hundreds of police officers and volunteers searched for Kogan. The search was conducted throughout the night and day by air, sea and land, with technological resources and rescue teams deployed in an effort to find him.
How did 4-year-old Yuval Kogan go missing?
After the report of his disappearance was received, police dispatched helicopters, the Marine Police Unit, divers, the municipal rescue unit and additional emergency responders to the scene. Search efforts are focused along the shoreline and the surrounding areas.
Authorities searched from the northern coast of the city of Ashkelon to the settlement of Nitzanim.
As the hours passed before riders discovered him, concerns about Kogan's fate grew.
"Almost 24 hours have passed since my son was lost. I beg anyone who can come help, any possible rescuers, I'm asking everyone to come," Kogan's mother, Dina, told Walla on Friday before her child was found. "I'm worried. I'm afraid it could be a kidnapping."
President Isaac Herzog spoke with Dina Kogan on the phone, expressing his deep concern, issuing support for the family, and confirming that he is in contact with Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and Shin Bet Director David Zini with regard to any updates on the search.