An unexploded piece of ordnance detonated during a school field trip in northern Israel on Monday, injuring at least twelve students and teachers from ORT Maโ€™alot high school as they hiked along Ramim Ridge near Kibbutz Yiftah and the Lebanese border. One person was reported in critical condition while three others suffered serious injuries and several more sustained lesser wounds in the sudden blast. Magen David Adom emergency teams rushed to the scene and began treating the casualties on the spot as the remote hillside location complicated immediate access. Israeli military troops arrived quickly and Air Force helicopters were dispatched to help evacuate the more seriously hurt. The group had been on an organized outdoor hike in the Upper Galilee when the leftover munition exploded without warning. Officials described the incident as a mass-casualty event and scrambled medical and security resources to the area within minutes.

The blast highlights the persistent danger of unexploded ordnance still scattered across the Upper Galilee from earlier rounds of rocket fire and fighting with Hezbollah. Rescue crews worked under pressure to stabilize the wounded before airlifting the most critical cases to hospitals for further care. Local authorities from Maโ€™alot-Tarshiha confirmed that both students and staff were among those hurt and immediately set up support teams for the affected families and remaining group members. Bomb disposal experts and additional security forces also moved into the zone to search for any other remaining hazards. The remote ridge, popular for its views yet close to the border, has seen repeated warnings about leftover munitions after years of cross-border exchanges. As investigators examine exactly what triggered the explosion, the injured continue receiving urgent medical attention and the community absorbs the shock of a routine school outing turning into a medical emergency.