Hula Valley

Searching for hope in an age of extinction

Conservation scientists understand that very rarely extinction is not always the final chapter

|ByRONNIE ROSENMAN, IN COLLABORATION WITH BGU
Prof. Uri Roll: "The love of nature was already there."
A general view of the excavation of Gesher B'not Ya‘acov Acheulian site, April 14, 2026.

Ancient charcoal found in northern Israel sheds new light on how early humans lived - study

Within the charcoal, archaeologists found traces of ash, willow, oak, olive, pistachio, grapevine, oleander, and the oldest known evidence of pomegranate wood in the Levant.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A butterfly clay bead from the Final Natufian period in Eynan-Mallaha, Hula Valley, colored red with ochre and marked with the fingerprints of an approximately 10-year-old child, March 18, 2026.

Ancient clay beads found in northern Israel rewrite timeline of cultural expression in the region

Researchers identified 19 different types of beads, whose shapes are reminiscent of plants that were harvested by Natufians, and were vital to their lives, such as wild barley, lentils, and peas. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
An aerial view of the Kinneret. To the casual observer, the lake, also known as the Sea of Galilee, appears to be a rare environmental success story in an era of climate uncertainty.

Israel’s freshwater balancing act: The Kinneret under strain

Intensive management has saved the Kinneret from crisis, but rising salinity and ecological change pose growing risks

|BySAM HALPERN

Owl injured in evacuated northern town is nursed back to health by KKL-JNF

The owl was discovered by the side of the road injured, mostly likely from a passing vehicle.

APRIL 10, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Owl brought for recovery at the Agamon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (AWRC) in Hula Lake - KKL, April 9, 2024.

Thousands of birds take flight, migrate from Hula valley

The species which could be spotted high in the skies include, storks, cranes, pelicans and birds of prey which had taken refuge in the Hula valley due to the recent wintery climate.

MARCH 22, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Thousands of birds take flight above the Hula valley. March 21, 2024.

Dozens of cranes killed by bird flu in northern Israel

Avian influenza has affected tens of millions of birds and thousands of mammals worldwide in recent years.

FEBRUARY 18, 2024ByTZVI JOFFRE
Workers from the Agriculture Ministry in protective gear retrieving dead cranes who were infected with the Avian Influenza (bird flu) from the Hula Lake in the Hula Valley Nature Reserve, northern Israel, January 2, 2022.

Swamp cat spotted on nighttime prowl in Israel's North

Due to the tension in the North, the Hula Valley is empty of human visitors, but the same cannot be said of its wildlife inhabitants.

JANUARY 22, 2024ByZIV REINSTEIN
Swamp cat in Emek Hula

New tech reveals ancient Israelis were 'highly capable' and resourceful

Very capable early humans in the Hula Valley systematically sought raw materials hundreds of thousands of years ago – much earlier than previously assumed.

JULY 19, 2023ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Handaxes from Gesher Benot Ya'aqov tested geochemically. Arrows indicate the striking of flakes sampled