Night of the jackal: Campers attacked by ‘rabid’ animals in Galilee

"I quickly turned on the light, and her entire face was covered in blood. I was terrified.

“I saw the animal that bit her. I saw it clearly. It was big – enormous, in fact.

“They said there were five jackals on the beach, and many people had already been injured by them.

“My daughter’s injuries were the most severe. Others were bitten slightly on the leg, but her face was severely affected.

“We were evacuated by ambulance to the hospital, where they gave her four injections and three stitches on her face.

“Now that we’ve been discharged, we came back to the beach to collect our things, and we’re trying to calm down a bit, but she is terrified and traumatised.

Local officials said the animals’ behaviour was not typical of jackals, raising concerns that the pack is infected with rabies.

The Kinneret Cities Association, which manages the 16 beaches in the region, said it is taking the incident very seriously and called for increased enforcement and monitoring of the jackal population during the summer season.

Elena said she hopes her daughter recovers fully in time for her bat mitzvah next month.

She added: “It breaks my heart because in less than a month, on July 7, she has her bat mitzvah, and just a few days before that, on June 19, she has her school graduation ceremony.

“I really hope she feels better and that this trauma passes before her bat mitzvah.”

The Health Ministry reported that there have been 66 cases of rabies exposure in animals this year. Dogs account for the most, 37, followed by jackals 19.

The pack responsible for the attack at Duga Beach has not been captured.