Elazar Yair Vilensky Named as Teen Killed in Upper Galilee School Trip Explosion

Elazar Yair Vilensky, a ninth-grade student at the ORT Ma'alot Yeshiva High School, was killed yesterday (Monday) when an unexploded piece of ordnance detonated during an annual school trip on the Ramim Ridge in the Upper Galilee.

Vilensky z"l was the youngest of five siblings and is survived by his parents, three sisters, and a brother. His family eulogized him, describing him as "a child of life, smart and bright, full of joy, a good and beloved friend whose whole future was ahead of him."

As of this morning, 24 people injured in the incident remain hospitalized in northern hospitals. Four are listed in serious condition, seven in moderate condition, and 13 in light condition.

Rambam Hospital in Haifa reported that two boys who sustained light injuries are hospitalized in the pediatric surgery department. Another boy, who was struck by shrapnel in the neck and is listed in moderate condition, remains under observation in pediatric intensive care. He is fully conscious and in stable condition.

A teacher who was injured in the incident underwent surgery overnight and is now hospitalized in general intensive care in serious but stable condition.

The Education Ministry clarified this morning that it had acted in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Jewish National Fund (KKL) following damage caused by the war, prohibiting activities in areas designated as closed.

However, the ministry stressed that the planned route for the school trip did not pass through the restricted area. It also stated that explicit safety instructions had been issued as part of the trip approval process, including a strict ban on touching fallen missiles or unexploded ordnance and a requirement to immediately report any suspicious objects found in the area.

Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Rambam Hospital, where he spoke with Eitan Masouri, the 14-year-old yeshiva student who was wounded in the neck.

Masouri recounted that one of the students had found the piece of ordnance, began playing with it, and unscrewed its threading, triggering the explosion.

Following the testimony, Netanyahu instructed the head of the Home Front Command to reinforce public safety warnings and expand searches for dangerous unexploded ordnance.

The IDF believes the explosive device was a cluster munition fired by Hezbollah during the war that had remained in the area without detonating.