Yankelvich had gone with 5 other soldiers to the reservoir to enjoy the water. But when Yankelvich didn’t come out after half an hour, his friends called Magen David Adom.
Medics arrived shortly on the scene, but had to call firefighters with special extrication equipment to pull the youth out. The medics tried to resuscitate him, but after a few minutes were forced to pronounce his death.
Two other soldiers were pulled out of the reservoir by rescue workers but did not need medical treatment.
The soldiers had gone to the reservoir privately and were not on a military mission. The Intelligence Corps and Military Police are investigating the incident.
Yankelvich lived in Netanya and was an only child to his mother, who had immigrated from the former Soviet Union two decades ago. His funeral is scheduled this afternoon at 16:00 in the Netanyah military cemetery.
This is the 38th incident of drowning that has occurred this summer in Israel. This summer has seen a jump of 75% in drownings in comparison to last year.