Teenager Killed, 24 Injured in Unexploded Ordnance Blast During School Trip

A 9th-grade student, Elazar Yair Wilensky, was killed on Monday during a school trip in the Ramim Ridge area when an unexploded ordnance detonated. Wilensky, the youngest of five siblings and a student at the Oranim Ma'alot Yeshiva High School, was described by his family as "a child of life. Smart and intelligent, full of joy for life, a good and beloved friend, whose whole future was still ahead of him." The Ma'alot-Tarshiha municipality stated it is supporting the Wilensky family and that municipal welfare and psychological services are providing emotional support to students, families, and school staff.

In the incident, 24 people, including students from 7th to 9th grades and school staff, were injured. MDA reported that two teenagers sustained serious injuries, while two adults and eight teenagers were moderately injured, and 12 other teenagers had light injuries. Ziv Medical Center in Safed reported that 13 patients were hospitalized, with two children in serious but stable condition, two adults in mild to moderate condition, and nine children with minor injuries. Rambam Medical Center in Haifa is treating four patients: a 61-year-old man in serious but stable condition, one teenager in moderate condition, and two teenagers with minor injuries. Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya is caring for seven teenagers, three of whom are in serious condition, one moderately injured, and the rest with light injuries.

An initial police investigation suggests a student placed the ordnance in their backpack, leading to the explosion. The IDF estimates the ordnance was a cluster munition shell fired by Hezbollah during the war that remained in the area. Hezbollah and Iran have previously fired cluster munitions into the Ramim Ridge and Metula areas, leaving many unexploded bomblets. Such weapons pose significant challenges to rescue forces as they can remain active for months or years and detonate upon contact. Iran and Israel are not signatories to the international convention banning cluster munitions.

One injured student recounted that a classmate picked up the ordnance during the hike, played with it, and put it in his backpack despite warnings. The student described the detonation occurring after a prayer break when the classmate handled the ordnance again. The Mayor of Ma'alot-Tarshiha, Moti Ben David, stated the Ministry of Education had approved the trip, but an investigation is underway to confirm if the route taken was the officially sanctioned one. The IDF is also examining whether the trip received all necessary approvals, as areas opened to the public are supposed to be cleared of unexploded ordnance by the military.

The process of clearing unexploded ordnance from open areas is complex, especially for smaller bomblets. The Knesset Interior Committee, responsible for overseeing mine and ordnance clearance, has had infrequent discussions on the matter since the ceasefire, meeting only twice during its term. The National Mine Action Authority in the Ministry of Defense has not actively reported on the progress of ordnance clearance in the northern confrontation line communities since life returned to normal in the north. The task of ordnance clearance is divided between the IDF, which handles neutralization primarily in areas used by security forces, and the Authority, responsible for civilian areas.