Teen Killed, 24 Injured in Unexploded Ordnance Blast During Hike

A teenager, Elazar Yair Wilensky, was killed on Monday by the explosion of unexploded ordnance during a hike in the Ramim Ridge area, the Ma'alot Tarshiha municipality reported. Wilensky, who was in the ninth grade at the Oranim High School in Ma'alot, is survived by his parents and four siblings. His family described him as "a child of life. Smart and wise, full of joy for life, a good and beloved friend, whose entire future was still ahead of him."

In the incident, 24 other students from seventh to ninth grade, along with school staff, were injured. Magen David Adom reported that two teenagers sustained serious injuries, two adults and eight teenagers were moderately injured, and 12 other teenagers suffered light injuries. An initial police investigation suggests that a student placed the ordnance in their bag, leading to the explosion.

The IDF estimates the explosive device was a cluster munition fired by Hezbollah during the war that remained in the area. Iran and Hezbollah have previously fired cluster munitions at the Ramim Ridge and the surrounding Metula area, leaving many unexploded bomblets. Such ordnance poses a significant danger, as unexploded remnants can remain in the field for months or years and detonate if touched. The high rate of unexploded ordnance is a primary reason for an international convention against their use, though neither Iran nor Israel are signatories. This issue was not raised during a Knesset Interior Committee discussion in February marking one year since the return of northern residents to their homes, which included representatives from the Ministry of Defense.