One person was killed, and several were wounded, some seriously, in an explosion involving an unknown ordnance between Kibbutz Manara and Kibbutz Yiftah in northern Israel on Monday, according to the Israel Police, with the IDF declaring the incident a mass-casualty event.
Students and staff members from the ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School were among the victims, according to a statement by the local municipality.
The municipality noted that the students were in the area on an annual field trip, with the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority saying that a preliminary investigation showed evidence that one of the students put an explosive device into his bag, which later detonated.
According to Army Radio, the IDF identified the explosive device as a Hezbollah cluster munition that had landed in the area, with the student finding it and picking it up during a break.
Northern District police officers and bomb disposal experts responded to the incident, as well as IDF and Hatzalah helicopters, and Magen David Adom paramedics.
The IDF later noted that Israeli soldiers were sent to the scene of the explosion to provide assistance, adding that the military is investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The Israel Police urged people to remain clear of the area and to report any suspected unexploded ordnance or suspicious objects.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on the incident and is holding continuous situational assessments, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The Education Ministry also responded, saying that it is working “in cooperation with the security forces… to provide answers to the students, the education staff, and their families.”
“We ask that everyone act responsibly and avoid spreading unverified information, while the details of the event are still being clarified,” the ministry added.
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot said in an X/Twitter post that his “heart is with the family of the deceased, the injured, and their families,” saying that he is praying “together with all Israeli citizens for the swift recovery of the wounded.”
An operations center staffed by social workers and psychologists has been set up in the area “to provide care for the students,” Ma’alot Mayor Moti Ben-David told Army Radio later on Monday.
This is a developing story.