A whale shark that had captivated marine researchers and beachgoers along Israel’s Mediterranean coast for several weeks has died off the coast of Gaza, according to the environmental conservation organization Sharks in Israel.
The massive fish, nicknamed “Ofek” by conservationists, was filmed being dragged ashore by crowds in the Khan Yunis area on Friday. Video footage circulating on social media showed Palestinians pulling the enormous creature onto the beach with ropes. According to reports from Gaza, the fish measured approximately ten meters in length.
“His story is primarily a sad one,” Sharks in Israel said in a statement. “He brought us joy for several weeks, kept beach managers on their toes, and reminded us that there’s still much to learn and understand in the Mediterranean.”
The whale shark had been spotted multiple times along Israel’s coastline in recent weeks, including off the shores of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Netanya, Bat Yam, and Tel Aviv. Marine researchers had been tracking its movements as it traveled north and south along the Mediterranean.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Adi Barash, CEO of Sharks in Israel. “There’s no ecological impact since it was a solitary individual, but it’s still deeply saddening.”
According to one Gaza resident, the fish was caught after fishing restrictions were eased. “For two years Israel did not allow us to fish—and today, when it was allowed, we managed to catch a fish weighing several tons,” the resident told Ynet.
The sighting of Ofek marked a historic moment for the region. “This is the first documented sighting of a whale shark along Israel’s Mediterranean coast, and only the third confirmed sighting in the entire Mediterranean,” said Shainin, head of the Apex Marine Predators Lab.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea, growing up to 14 meters long and living for more than a century. Despite their imposing size, they are filter feeders that consume plankton and small fish, posing no danger to humans. The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is protected under Israeli law.
“This case also highlights how crucial species protection is here,” Sharks in Israel noted. “While nature conservation for cartilaginous fish isn’t always a priority elsewhere, today we are an important and protected point in their migratory routes.”
The appearance—and subsequent death—of such a massive fish has resonated with some observers on a deeper, spiritual level, connecting to ancient Jewish traditions about large sea creatures and the end of days.
In Jewish eschatology, large fish hold special significance through the legend of the Leviathan, a massive sea creature described in the Talmud. According to Tractate Baba Batra 75a, God created both a male and female Leviathan at the beginning of creation. Concerned that if they multiplied their offspring would destroy the world, God killed the female Leviathan and preserved her flesh for a special banquet to be held for the righteous upon the arrival of the Messiah. According to tradition, this feast will take place inside an enormous tent made from the Leviathan’s skin.
This teaching has become embedded in Jewish ritual. During Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, some Jews recite a blessing upon leaving the sukkah: “May it be your will, Lord our God and God of our forefathers, that just as I have fulfilled and dwelt in this sukkah, so may I merit in the coming year to dwell in the sukkah of the skin of Leviathan. Next year in Jerusalem.”
The Tikunei Zohar, an esoteric text attributed to first-century Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, offers additional interpretation of what an increase in fish sightings might signify. According to this mystical work, such appearances indicate a specific stage of the Messianic process in which two separate redemptive phases—the Messiah from the House of Joseph and the Messiah from the House of David—begin to converge.
The first phase, associated with Joseph, represents the practical rebuilding of the Land of Israel through human effort. The second, linked to David, ushers in a miraculous period that includes the rebuilding of the Temple. The period marked by the appearance of fish is described as one of “hamtakat hadinim”—a sweetening of divine judgments—symbolized by the fish’s ability, in mystical terms, to make seawater potable.