Surrounded by adults: the 5-year-old drowned in a B&B in the north

Dor (pseudonym), a 5-year-old boy from the center, arrived last week with his family to spend time together at a B&B in the northern region, along with several other families. Already in the first hour of their stay at the place, while the adults are sitting around the pool and the children are playing in the water, Dor entered the pool – dived, and did not come back up. Despite the large number of adults in the place, one moment of dispersal of responsibility and inattention was enough for the event to be a disastrous step.

According to his mother, Dor initially entered the water with a buoy, but he asked to remove it so he could dive. A short time later he sank under the water. “He just dived next to everyone,” she says. The family members who were there quickly recognized the danger, removed him from the pool, and one of the adults (a trained medic) gave him first aid according to the instructions.

“I felt like we got his life as a gift”

“I started talking to him, making sure he was with us, that he was talking,” she recalls the dramatic moments to Mako Health. He looked at me and mumbled ‘Mom’. I felt that we received his life as a gift, that we were blessed with faithful messengers who recognized and gave him first aid in time. Until now, when I remember these moments, tears flow from my eyes just from the thought that we could easily be in a completely different situation now.”

Dor was referred to the pediatric emergency room at the North Medical Center, where he was treated in the trauma room – and later transferred to observation in the pediatric intensive care unit. After his condition stabilized and improved, he was released home in good condition.

Most of the cases – in private pools

The medical center warns and points out that this case is not unusual. Since the beginning of 2026, seven drowning cases of children have already been treated there – a figure that is particularly worrying in light of the fact that the bathing season has not yet officially opened. For comparison, during the war in the entire year 2025 they treated 22 children. Due to the proximity to the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee and the number of B&Bs in the area, the center treats dozens of drowning cases of children every year. According to them, a large part of the cases occur in private pools – where there is no lifeguard, and the responsibility rests entirely on the parents.

Dr. Saleh Khatib, director of the Children’s Department of Medicine at the medical center: “This case ended in a miracle, but we see too many cases that end in a different way. It is important to understand that drowning is not what you see in the movies – in most cases there is no shouting and no drama. It happens quietly, especially when it comes to babies and small children.”

He adds that the risk rises precisely in family gatherings: “In such situations there is a tendency to think that ‘everyone is watching’, but in practice the responsibility is dispersed. This is precisely the moment when a dangerous distraction may arise.”

At the North Medical Center they are quick because when staying in private pools the responsibility rests with the adults. “When there is no lifeguard and no adult designated for continuous supervision, even a normal situation of playing in the water can turn into a life-threatening event in an instant,” says Dr. Khatib.

“When you go on vacation in B&Bs, it’s important to make sure the pool is fenced”

According to the data of the “Betaram” organization, since the beginning of the year, 5 children and teenagers have drowned, of which 2 children drowned in swimming pools. In the last decade, 181 children and teenagers drowned, of which 77 children drowned in pools. About 25% of them lost their lives in a pool at a B&B or hotel.

“Drowning is the second leading cause of child death in accidents and it happens quickly and silently, in one moment of distraction,” says Orly Silvinger, the organization’s CEO. “Dear parents, don’t say ‘it won’t happen to me’ – babies can drown even in shallow water a few centimeters deep. When you go on vacation in B&Bs, and when you bathe in home pools, it is important to make sure that the pool is fenced and has a gate that locks automatically. Inflatable pools, buckets and tubs must be emptied immediately after use.”