1 Israeli Killed, 19 Injured, 3 in Critical Condition in Upper Galilee Explosion - Sarmad
Israeli Channel 12 reported that one person was killed and 19 Israelis were injured, three of them in critical condition, in an explosion of unknown nature in the Upper Galilee region north of the occupied territories on Monday. Emergency services rushed to the scene as the military announced the deployment of helicopters to the incident site.
Channel 12 stated that one person was killed and 19 others were injured, three in critical condition, noting that the rescue operation concluded after the victims were transported to hospitals.
The Israeli Magen David Adom (ambulance service) said that paramedics were treating “eight patients with injuries ranging from serious to moderate, in addition to several people with minor injuries,” following the explosion, which police said occurred near the town of Neot Mordechai.
Religious School
Media outlets quoted the mayor of Ma’aleh Terumim in the Galilee as suggesting that the explosion was caused by unexploded ordnance near the Lebanese border, and that it resulted in injuries to students and teaching staff from the Ort religious school.
However, Channel 14 revealed that preliminary investigations indicate that one of the students may have touched the explosive device and possibly carried it in his backpack before it detonated. Meanwhile, the commander of the Israeli police in Kiryat Shmona stated that they were not yet certain whether the cause was an explosive charge or a rocket warhead left over from past conflicts.
The Walla! news website reported that the Israeli military and police had previously announced the clearance of the incident area of explosives, suggesting that the explosion might have been caused by an old Hezbollah rocket.
Police and local media clarified that a group of students and teachers from a religious school were on a field trip on the outskirts of Neot Mordechai in the north of the occupied territories when an unexploded ordnance along their path detonated.
Ma’ariv reported that the incident was not yet over, and the evacuation of the remaining participants from the tour site was still ongoing.
While Channel 12 stated that investigations were underway to determine who authorized entry to the area and whether access was permitted due to its proximity to the Lebanese border, the Israeli Ministry of Education confirmed that the area was authorized for public access and that the path taken by the hikers was permitted.
The Israeli military announced the deployment of troops and military helicopters to assist in evacuation operations.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interrupted a live broadcast related to elections on social media platforms following the incident in the north of the occupied territories.
Netanyahu’s office stated that he had issued orders to evacuate the injured to hospitals and was continuing ongoing assessments of the situation after receiving a briefing on the details of the “serious incident.”
