A remarkable twist brought a happy ending Friday to the search for 4-year-old Yuval Kogan, who disappeared near the beaches of Ashkelon, after a Breslover chassid searching on horseback accidentally took a wrong turn and stumbled upon the missing child standing beneath a tree.

The child, who had been missing since Thursday afternoon, was found alive and unharmed after an intensive overnight search involving hundreds of emergency personnel and volunteers.

The man who located Yuval was identified as Noam Simchi, a Breslover chassid from Ashdod. Simchi had joined the search effort Friday morning, riding his horse in an attempt to help cover the difficult terrain surrounding the Ashkelon coastline.

Recalling the dramatic moment, Simchi said he had never intended to reach the location where the boy was eventually found.

“I took a wrong turn with the horse on the way to the beach, and I saw the child standing under a tree,” Simchi said emotionally. “He looked at me. Thank G-d. Say Mizmor L’sodah. Thank Hashem.”

The search for Yuval began Thursday at approximately 1:00 p.m. after the boy disappeared in the sand dunes between the cliffs and the shoreline north of Ashkelon.

According to reports, Yuval had been on a family outing with his father and sisters. At one point, he wandered toward a bush in the dunes to explore. After just three or four minutes during which his family lost sight of him, he had vanished.

Over the next 24 hours, hundreds of emergency responders raced against the clock to locate the child. Volunteers from ZAKA, Israel Police, Magen David Adom, rescue divers, and numerous other emergency organizations searched by land, sea, and air.

Authorities deployed drones, off-road vehicles, and specialized technological equipment as crews combed the challenging landscape.

Search teams faced particularly difficult conditions. The area where Yuval disappeared is an undeclared beach with no lifeguards or breakwaters and includes steep cliffs, expansive sand dunes, and open coastline, making the search especially complex.

Aryeh Blumenfeld, commander of the ZAKA 360 Ashkelon unit, praised the volunteers’ determination following the successful rescue.

“After a full day of searching by ZAKA 360 volunteers, the child was found safe and sound. I want to thank all of the volunteers who worked in the field and never gave up until he was found,” Blumenfeld said.

During the search, Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally called Yuval’s mother, Dina Kogan, to express his concern and support. Herzog told her he was in close contact with Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and Shin Bet Director David Zini regarding the ongoing search efforts.

Before her son was found, Dina Kogan, a pediatrician, voiced fears that her son’s disappearance might involve something more serious than a child who had simply become lost.

“I am worried they are searching in the same place. I am afraid this may be a kidnapping,” she said. “I want additional forces beyond the police and the Shin Bet. I want everyone mobilized. These are critical hours. Everyone needs to be on their feet—this is a matter of life and death.”

With Yuval now safely reunited with his family, relief has spread throughout Israel after a search that captivated the nation.

{Matzav.com}