11 campers injured in overnight jackal attack in Israel

Eleven campers, including three minors, were bitten and injured in a jackal attack early Saturday morning in northeastern Israel, the Tzafon Medical Center near Tiberias said in a statement, reported Xinhua.

According to media reports, the campers were attacked by at least five jackals while sleeping in rented glamping tents on Duga Beach along the Sea of Galilee. They were rushed to a hospital.

One of the campers told Israeli news website Ynet that she woke up to her 12-year-old granddaughter's screams after a jackal had entered their tent and attacked the child, leaving bite marks on her face.

The unusual attack comes amid a massive spread of rabies in the northern region recorded by the Israeli Health Ministry since early 2026.

Israel's Walla news website quoted experts as warning that such aggressive behavior by wild animals is unnatural and indicates a very high chance that those jackals are infected with rabies.

The Kinneret Cities Association, which oversees public beaches around the Sea of Galilee, urged authorities to take immediate steps to reduce the local jackal population and increase nighttime patrols.