Yigael Ben-Ari, head of marine rangers at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said it was not known how the man behaved around the sharks. But he said the public should know not to enter the water when sharks are present and not to touch or play with them.

On Monday, police launched a search along the Mediterranean coast after reports that a shark attacked a swimmer on a beach near Hadera

Israeli police have been searching for a man reported missing following a suspected shark attack off the country's Mediterranean coast, the force said on Tuesday.