Tragedy on a School Trip Up North: 14-Year-Old Killed, 24 Hurt When Unexploded Shell Detonates

One person was killed and 24 others were wounded today (Monday) when an unexploded piece of ordnance detonated during the annual trip of the ORT Maalot yeshiva high school, near the Pe'er Lookout on the Ramim Ridge in the Upper Galilee. Seven of the casualties were seriously or moderately wounded, and the rest sustained light injuries. One of the wounded, who was initially listed in critical condition, later died of his injuries.

The IDF is examining the possibility that one of the students spotted the piece of ordnance during the hike, picked it up and placed it in his backpack. According to the scenario under investigation, the device exploded later on, near the students and teachers. The army assesses that it was a cluster bomblet fired by Hezbollah during the war, which had remained in the field without detonating. The Education Ministry said the trip had been arranged in accordance with every protocol, under supervision and following IDF guidelines.

Cluster bombs scatter submunitions across wide areas, and some of them fail to explode on impact with the ground. These duds can remain dangerous long afterward.

Following the blast, numerous Magen David Adom teams were rushed to the scene, including ambulances, mobile intensive care units and a helicopter. At the same time, three Air Force helicopters arrived, along with soldiers from the 669 search-and-rescue unit, medical crews, and a bomb disposal team from the Yahalom unit.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy said at the scene: "It's reasonable to assume that I will instruct the IDF that in the coming days we'll halt these trips, in order to re-examine whether the State of Israel is endangering children by letting them go out. We'll build a comprehensive picture and we'll announce where this started, why it happened and how it happened."

Itzik Shoshan, director of MDA's Jordan Region, described the treatment of the casualties: "When we arrived at the scene we saw a number of wounded people with varying degrees of injury. We immediately began providing medical treatment on site to 8 casualties in serious and moderate condition, and to additional casualties in light condition."

Defense Minister Israel Katz said: "I share in the deep grief of the family of the young man who was killed, and wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded. The incident is being investigated to clarify its circumstances."

Education Minister Yoav Kisch said: "This is an extremely difficult incident, and our thoughts are with the casualties and their families. At this hour, the Education Ministry is working together with the security forces and all professional bodies to provide support to the students, the educational staff and their families."

Maalot Mayor Moti Ben David spoke about the response to the disaster: "This is a complicated situation and incident; we need to check what happened there. This is a very popular trail and many groups hike it. We've opened an emergency command center at city hall."