The late Barak Tzach, a resident of Petah Tikva in his 40s, married and father of four children, is the citizen who was killed in a shark attack on the Hadera beach.
Tzach's identity was confirmed after findings found in the sea were sent for examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, where his identity was finally confirmed.
The police said that the search will continue "to locate additional findings," and that they share the grief of the family, who were informed of the findings and continue to receive support in the process.
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His wife, Sarit, wrote on her Facebook page: "With deep sorrow and pain that cannot be expressed, we announce the death of our husband and father. I would like to put an end to the rumors that are being spread around the circumstances of his death and tell the truth.".
""On the day of his death, Barak arrived at the beach after a day of work, as he often did. He entered the sea equipped with a snorkel, mask, fins, and a GoPro camera – without anything else, and certainly not with fish or bait, contrary to rumors that had spread.
""Barak entered the water to dive and document sharks, not to feed them or play with them. In a conversation I had with a fisherman who witnessed the incident, I was told that he swam alongside it and later moved slightly away in a more open direction.
""He filmed the sharks from a distance but did not touch or feed them. When they started to get too close to him, he used the stick of the GoPro camera to gently push them away. The fisherman called him back to shore, and Barak began to swim slowly towards him – and then he was attacked.".
In the days since the incident, the internet has been abuzz with rumors about what preceded the incident and what actually happened. Therefore, his wife wrote: "The family wishes to refrain from spreading incorrect or unfounded information, and to honor the memory of a loved one who loved the sea and nature.".
