Unexploded Ordnance Found After Deadly School Trip Incident

Following a serious incident during a school trip near Ramim Ridge, where students were injured by an unexploded ordnance, further searches in the area have uncovered additional cluster bomb remnants. The area along the Ramot Naftali road has been closed by Division 91, and authorities anticipate finding more unexploded ordnance in the coming days and weeks.

Students who were not injured and were evacuated to Kibbutz Yiftah reported encountering multiple unexploded items during the trip, not just one or two. Some students reportedly placed more than one remnant into their bags, prompting bomb disposal experts to search the bags for explosive materials, though nothing was found at that stage.

Initial investigations suggest the explosive device that detonated may have been placed in a student's bag about an hour before the incident. Photos taken by students shortly before the explosion show the collected ordnance, identified as cluster bombs, which have been found in many northern communities during the war. While the explosive content is relatively small, approximately 40 grams, the design of the munition can cause significant damage.

According to security forces' initial findings, the student who collected the explosive device found it off the marked trail in a nearby grove. He left the path, picked up the ordnance, and placed it in his bag. The group continued their trip, and before reaching the bus parking area, the students sat in a circle. At that point, for reasons yet unknown, the device exploded, causing numerous injuries.

IDF estimates suggest that due to three years of war and Hezbollah's shelling of northern areas, many unexploded munitions remain in the region, potentially numbering in the thousands. The ongoing searches aim to locate these remnants and reduce the risk to hikers and residents.

The responsibility for locating and handling enemy ordnance in civilian areas typically falls to the police, with the Nature and Parks Authority involved in nature reserves and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in forests and groves. In the coming days, responsible parties will need to map open areas in the north, survey them, and classify them by risk level to determine which can be reopened for visits and which will remain closed. No further trips will be held in the relevant areas for the time being. Questions have also arisen regarding the trip's approval, as the Ministry of Education approved the route, while the JNF continues to display warning signs posted since May indicating the area is dangerous and entry is prohibited. Ultimately, hikers themselves are also responsible for not touching suspicious objects and staying on marked trails.