One person was killed and 19 others injured in an explosion during a school outing near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, with authorities suspecting that unexploded ordnance may have caused the blast.
The explosion occurred as a group of Israeli high school students were hiking near the border, officials said. The victims included students and staff members from a religious high school, according to the municipality of Maalot-Tarshiha, a city in northern Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and wished those injured a speedy recovery in a post on social media platform X. He added that an investigation into the incident was underway.
Citing medical sources, Israeli police said the initial assessment suggested the explosion may have been caused by unexploded ordnance. Around 20 people sustained injuries of varying severity, according to the initial reports.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled his scheduled engagements to receive updates and assess the situation, his office said.
Netanyahu directed authorities to ensure that the injured were evacuated to hospitals as quickly as possible and continued to receive briefings on the incident, according to a statement from his office.
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, initially reported that eight of the injured had sustained moderate to serious injuries, while paramedics provided medical assistance at the scene.
The Israeli military said soldiers and helicopters had been deployed to the site in northern Israel to assist with the response.
The incident occurred amid continuing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Israeli forces have carried out strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah has periodically launched rockets into Israeli territory.
