A 15-year-old student was killed and around 19 others injured when unexploded ordnance detonated during a school hiking trip in northern Israel on Monday, in one of the deadliest incidents involving leftover munitions from the Israel-Hezbollah fighting near the Lebanon border.
What happened on the Ramim Ridge
The explosion tore through a group of students and teachers from the ORT Ma'alot yeshiva high school hiking between the communities of Manara and Yiftah, near the Neot Mordechai area on the Ramim Ridge — a mountainous stretch just south of the Lebanon border, according to Israeli authorities and multiple reports.
Israel's emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) confirmed the fatality was a teenager and said that of the 19 injured, two were in serious condition and three in moderate condition. United Hatzalah reported three people sustained serious injuries. Both IDF and MDA military helicopters were scrambled to evacuate the wounded as rescue teams worked the scene.
Police closed off and isolated the area while bomb disposal experts began investigating the source of the blast. Authorities urged the public to stay away and to report any unexploded ordnance or suspicious objects.
Unexploded Hezbollah munition suspected
The Israel Defense Forces said an initial review by soldiers at the scene indicated the explosion was caused by an unexploded Hezbollah munition that had fallen in the area — though it remains unclear when the projectile was fired, CNN reported. The IDF spokesperson said an initial investigation indicated it was apparently caused by a Hezbollah cluster bomb that had remained in the area.
According to police, cited by AFP, a preliminary investigation suggests one of the students may have picked up the device and placed it in a backpack before it exploded. The area had previously been declared safe for civilian access, raising serious questions about how the explosive device remained undetected.
National response and investigation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on the incident and spoke with MDA Director-General Eli Bin, Education Minister Yoav Kisch and his military secretary, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Kisch described the explosion as a "very serious incident" and urged the public not to spread unverified information while details were being established.
The Education Ministry called it an "extremely difficult incident" and said it was working with security forces to support the students, school staff and their families. The incident comes as Israel prepares for parliamentary elections on October 27, with security and military oversight likely to attract political attention.
Takeaway
The tragedy underscores the lingering danger of unexploded munitions along the Israel-Lebanon border, where years of fighting left extensive unexploded ordnance. Investigators must now answer how a declared-safe hiking area still held a live munition — and whether oversight failures put schoolchildren at risk.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: CNN · United with Israel · JFeed