Boy, 14, Killed and 24 Injured in Suspected Hezbollah Munition Blast on School Hike

Magen David Adom reported one death and 24 injuries after an explosion near the Lebanon border. The IDF believes the device was a leftover Hezbollah cluster submunition.

A 14-year-old boy was killed and 24 students and adults were injured on October 12 when suspected unexploded ordnance detonated during a school hike in the Ramim Ridge area of northern Israel.

Explosion during a school outing

Magen David Adom said two teenage boys were seriously injured. The group came from ORT Ma’alot and was hiking near the Lebanese border, The Times of Israel reported. Emergency teams treated the wounded and evacuated them to hospitals in northern Israel.

A suspected remnant of Hezbollah rocket fire

The IDF said the device was likely a cluster submunition from a Hezbollah rocket that had stayed in the area without exploding. Police said a student apparently picked up the device before it detonated.

Accounts differed on whether it exploded in a student’s hands or after being placed in a backpack. The sequence is still under investigation, and the device’s origin is an official assessment, not a completed forensic finding.

Rescue efforts

MDA personnel described students helping injured friends before and during the rescue response. The Times of Israel reported that some followed a medic’s instructions to apply tourniquets.

Why old munitions stay dangerous

Large parts of northern Israel came under Hezbollah rocket fire during the war that began on October 8, 2023. A cluster rocket scatters small submunitions over a wide area, and some of them can fail to explode on impact.

Unexploded ordnance can stay dangerous long after rocket fire ends. Israel’s Defense Ministry explains that a failed munition may detonate after slight movement or without an obvious trigger.

What hikers should do

Suspicious objects should be left untouched and reported to police. Hikers should follow current access restrictions and official instructions.