One person was killed and 19 others were injured on Monday, 12 October 2026, in an explosion during a school trip in the Mitzpe Be'er area of the Ramim Heights in the Upper Galilee, near the communities of Yiftah and Neot Mordechai in northern Israel. Initial investigations indicated that the incident may have been caused by unexploded ordnance.
Updated casualty toll from school trip
Initial information indicated that the group was walking in the area when previously unexploded ordnance detonated, although the relevant authorities have not announced a final conclusion on the cause of the incident. The Israeli police said reports had been received of an explosion near Neot Mordechai, after which officers from the Northern District Police and bomb disposal experts were sent to the site.
Police cordon off site and examine source of ordnance
It added that the initial suspicion was that unexploded ordnance had detonated, and that about 20 people had sustained injuries of varying severity, according to medical teams' assessments. Police said officers from the Kiryat Shmona station had closed the site and cordoned off the area, while bomb disposal experts examined the source and circumstances of the explosion.
It also urged the public not to approach the site and to report any ordnance or suspicious object to police without touching it. Israel's emergency medical service said it received the report at 14:53 local time concerning people injured in an explosion in an open area belonging to the Upper Galilee Regional Council.
It said it had deployed ambulances, intensive care units and a medical helicopter, alongside military helicopters, to treat and evacuate the injured to hospitals. Itzik Shushan, director of the service's Jordan District, said large numbers of teams had arrived and found people with injuries of varying severity. They immediately began treating eight people in serious or moderate condition, in addition to those with minor injuries.
He described the treatment and evacuation operation as complex, stressing that the injured were continuing to be transported rapidly to hospitals. The Israeli army announced that it had sent forces to the site to support rescue teams, along with Air Force helicopters, noting that the circumstances of the explosion were being examined. Police, emergency medical and local authority teams also took part in sealing off the area and evacuating the injured.
Municipality and Netanyahu follow evacuation of injured
The Ma'alot-Tarshiha Municipality said the explosion occurred during an annual school trip and that the injured included students and teaching staff. It added that Mayor Moti Ben David and municipal teams had gone to the site to work in coordination with emergency, rescue and education authorities.
The Israeli prime minister's office said Benjamin Netanyahu had been briefed on the details of the incident and had spoken with Eli Bin, director-general of the emergency medical service, Education Minister Yoav Kisch and his military secretary. The office added that Netanyahu had requested confirmation that the injured were evacuated to hospitals as quickly as possible and that developments in the incident continued to be assessed.
For its part, the Israeli Education Ministry said it was working with security forces and professional bodies to assist the students, teaching staff and their families. It urged people to avoid circulating unconfirmed information while the investigation continued and the details of the injured were being verified.
