One Dead, 20 Injured in Unexploded Ordnance Blast During School Trip

Emergency services, including Magen David Adom, military rescue teams, and Air Force helicopters, rushed to the scene and declared a mass casualty incident. First responder Tamir Duadi, a resident of Manara, described treating youths with severe limb injuries and instructing uninjured students to apply tourniquets to their classmates. The wounded, including several in serious or critical condition, were airlifted to northern hospitals, including Ziv Hospital in Safed and Rambam Hospital in Haifa.

Initial assessments suggest the explosion was triggered when someone accidentally stepped on or kicked an old munition left in the area. Security forces cordoned off the site, and engineering units began sweeping for additional unexploded ordnance to determine if the device was a remnant from the recent war. The Ministry of Education and police have launched an investigation into how the school trip's route was approved in a sensitive military zone.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his scheduled appearances for the day, including a television appearance, and returned to his Jerusalem office. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also postponed a planned political statement, and Education Minister Yoav Kisch traveled to the north to visit the site and the injured at Ziv Hospital.