In the serious accident during a school trip in northern Israel, student Elazar Yair Wilensky lost his life on Monday (October 12). The teenager was a ninth-grade student at the ORT Yeshiva High School in Ma’alot. The explosion on the Ramim Ridge in Upper Galilee left 24 other people injured, including students and teachers.
According to reports from Israeli media, Wilensky was the youngest of five children. His family described him as a joyful, intelligent, and popular boy. He is survived by his parents, three sisters, and a brother.
🕯️ 14-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky was killed and 24 others wounded in an unexploded ordnance blast on Ramim Ridge. #Israel #Galilee
https://t.co/ocy4SpYqMl /
— Israel Hayom English (@IsraelHayomEng) October 13, 2026
The explosion occurred during a three-day hike on the Israel National Trail, a long-distance hiking route that traverses the country from north to south. The students had set out from their school in Ma’alot on Monday morning. In the early afternoon, they were near the Pe’er viewpoint on the Ramim Ridge, not far from the Lebanese border, when the devastating detonation occurred.
According to reports from Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, initial investigations by security forces indicated that one of the teenagers had apparently found a suspicious object beside the hiking trail and placed it in their backpack. The group initially continued their hike. When the students later gathered for a break, the object exploded for reasons that remain unclear.
Investigators believe the device was unexploded cluster munition that had been fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory by Hezbollah during the fighting. A final confirmation of the origin of the explosive device is still pending.
According to the latest reports, four people were seriously injured, seven moderately injured, and 13 lightly injured in the explosion. Rescue personnel from the Israeli Red Star of David (Magen David Adom) and Israeli army soldiers rushed to the scene. Rescue helicopters were also deployed to transport the injured to hospitals.
מזירת האירוע במועצה האזורית גליל עליון
צילום: תיעוד מבצעי מד”א https://t.co/DTGA931zuT
— מגן דוד אדום (@mda_israel) October 12, 2026
According to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, a 61-year-old teacher who had undergone surgery overnight remained in serious condition on Tuesday morning. Another teenager was being treated in moderate condition with a shrapnel injury to the neck. Additional students sustained minor injuries.
The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya also admitted injured patients. Dr. Nadav Sleifer, head of the hospital’s pediatric surgery department, told Israeli media that even small metal fragments could cause life-threatening injuries if they penetrate deep into tissue and strike vital organs.
According to accounts from survivors, several students immediately tried to help their injured classmates after the explosion. Despite their own injuries, some applied pressure bandages and tourniquets to stop severe bleeding. One student performed resuscitation measures.
Another injured teenager contacted his father via video call and had him explain how to apply a pressure bandage to himself after being wounded in the leg by shrapnel.
Meanwhile, the accident raises questions about the safety of hiking trails in the northern border areas. According to students, they had not noticed a warning sign cautioning about unexploded ordnance and prohibiting entry to the area.
The approval of the school trip is a particular focus of the investigations. According to reports from Israel Hayom, the Jewish National Fund KKL-JNF had already informed authorities in writing before the accident that the relevant hiking trail was closed due to ongoing restoration work. Nevertheless, the trip was apparently approved by the Israeli Ministry of Education.
Investigators are now examining how the approval could have been granted despite this warning, and whether the responsible authorities were informed of the closure. The question of whether the hiking group had strayed from the approved path is also part of the investigation. Whether any negligence is to be attributed, and if so to whom, has not yet been established.
Following the accident, the Israeli army cordoned off additional areas of the Ramim Ridge. Soldiers discovered further unexploded cluster munition in the surrounding area. According to security forces, numerous dangerous munition remnants from the fighting with Hezbollah may still be present in the northern border areas.
The tragedy thus highlights a danger that persists even after the end of direct combat operations. Unexploded rockets, grenades, and cluster munition can pose a deadly threat long after impact, particularly in forested areas and on hiking trails that came under fire during the war.
The municipal administration of Ma’alot-Tarshiha expressed its deepest condolences to the Wilensky family. Mayor Moti Ben David stated that the affected families would continue to receive support. Social workers and school psychologists are providing care for the students, their relatives, and teaching staff.
Investigations into the exact sequence of events and possible failings in the approval of the school trip are ongoing.
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