A 10-year-old boy, whose father died shielding him from a steep fall during a hiking trip on Friday, succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Dr. Omri Nir, an Israeli researcher, died Friday afternoon in a tragic hiking accident.

His 10-year-old son, Ilai, fell while descending a desert mountain during the hike. Omri managed to catch him and hold on to him as they fell together from a cliff in the Negev desert. 

Ilai, who suffered head and back injuries in the fall and was evacuated by an IDF elite  rescue unit, was fighting for his life in an intensive care unit at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva.

On Sunday the boy was pronounced dead.

“Ilai, 10, was evacuated last weekend after being critically injured from a fall from a great height in the Tze’elim Canyon,” a hospital spokesperson said. “Over the weekend doctors worked to stabilize his condition, but unfortunately his condition worsened, causing irreversible brain damage. This afternoon, after a further deterioration of his condition, doctors were forced to declare his death. His family has agreed to donate his organs.”

Ha’aretz reported that the Nature and Parks Authority conducted an investigation and found the area to be safe, concluding that the tragedy was caused by human error.

By: World Israel News Staff

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