Student Killed, Dozens Injured in Unattended Ordnance Incident During School Trip

A ninth-grade student, Elazar Yair Wilensky, was killed and 24 others were injured when a cluster munition remnant exploded during a school trip by Ort Ma'alot in the Ramim Ridge area on October 12. Students reported that they were not warned about unexploded ordnance and that the munition had been in their possession for over an hour before the blast. The incident occurred despite multiple layers of safety protocols that apparently failed.

KKL-JNF had previously notified the Ministry of Education in writing that the site was closed due to war damage, and later confirmed to the ministry that it remained closed when asked. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education approved the trip. Ma'alot-Tarshiha municipality has not had an educational institution security officer since early October, and preliminary site surveys were reportedly not conducted before the trip. The Mine and Ordnance Disposal Authority operates without a permanent director, and the Ministry of Defense claims that clearing enemy ordnance is not its responsibility but the police's.

The Knesset Subcommittee for Mine and Ordnance Disposal, established in February 2023, had convened only twice since its inception, with only its chairman present at the meetings. Students recounted that they received no safety briefings regarding unexploded ordnance, contradicting statements from the Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch, who said warnings were given. Initial reports suggest students provided first aid to each other, with one performing CPR and another video-calling his father for instructions.

Initial findings indicate Wilensky picked up the munition near a marked trail and placed it in his bag. The explosion occurred during a stop before reaching the bus parking area. The group had reportedly found other ammunition fragments along the route, and the munition was in the students' possession for over an hour. The police commissioner stated that the police would learn from the incident and that such trips might be prohibited in the near future.

This incident echoes previous failures, such as the Flydubai flight incident, where written warnings were issued, responsibility was fragmented, and oversight was lacking. The Ministry of Defense stated that the authority is not responsible for clearing ordnance from enemy fire, attributing that to the police, while the authority's own documents suggest otherwise. The State Comptroller has previously recommended consolidating responsibility for ordnance disposal, warning of potential disasters if this is not addressed.