A 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor, supplied to Israel by the Americans in 1958 under Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program. In practice, the reactor was another layer of the disinformation Israel used to mislead American intelligence agencies about its real nuclear intentions - namely, building atomic bombs. The reactor's construction helped obscure Israel's plans, and until the United States established the true nature of Israel's nuclear program (1960), Israel managed to create facts on the ground, with the French reactor being built at Dimona already at an advanced stage.

The reactor at Nahal Soreq is used for research and is under US supervision. It is located near Yavne and the Palmachim air force base.

On 21 June 1990 an accident occurred at the reactor in which a worker died from radiation exposure. Shortly after 17:00 an alarm sounded, warning of radiation. A worker who was on the scene silenced the alarm bell, bypassed the protection system, unlocked the door and entered the cell (cobalt 60). He was not aware of the radiation in the cell until, a minute later, he moved several crates. Within a minute of exposure to the radioactive radiation he began to feel intense heat in his eyes and left the cell. He was taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, and that evening was transferred to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. He died 36 days later.

The elbow of the worker who was hit by radiation

The report written by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was published in English, French, Spanish and Russian (but not in Hebrew)! The full report can be read in English at this link (PDF file).