Nearly twenty people were wounded, and one killed in a munitions explosion incident near the northern border, among them teachers and students seriously and critically wounded. Most of the wounded are in light and moderate condition.
The Prime Minister's Office reported shortly after the incident: "Prime Minister Netanyahu was updated on the details of the severe incident in the north and spoke with MDA Director General Eli Bin, with Education Minister Yoav Kisch and with his military secretary. The Prime Minister asked to ensure that the wounded are evacuated as quickly as possible to hospitals and continues to hold ongoing situation assessments."
Itzik Shoshan, director of MDA's Jordan region, who was present at the scene, recounted minutes after the incident: "Upon receiving the report of an explosion in the field in the Upper Galilee Regional Council, we left quickly for the scene with large forces of ambulances, intensive care units and an MDA helicopter that was also dispatched. When we arrived at the location we saw a number of wounded in various degrees of injury. We immediately began providing medical treatment at the scene to 8 wounded in serious and moderate condition and to additional wounded in light condition. This is a complex incident, we continue to provide medical treatment to the wounded on site and to evacuate them quickly to the hospital."
The father of one of the students told "Midday Edition" with Amalia Duek on Channel 12 that the wounded are middle school and high school students. According to him, the trip was organized and approved. "I'm asking to dedicate the time to prayers for the wounded," he said.
The Education Ministry addressed the incident and reported that it is an extremely severe incident. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The Education Ministry is acting at this time, in cooperation with security forces and all professional bodies, to provide a response to the students, the educational staff and their families. We ask to act responsibly and refrain from spreading unverified information, while the details of the incident are still being clarified," it was reported.
The municipality of Maalot Tarshiha detailed: "During the annual trip of ORT Maalot high school yeshiva, a short time ago a severe incident occurred in the northern border area, in which students and staff members were injured. Mayor Moti Ben David and the municipal teams left immediately for the field and are operating in coordination with emergency, rescue and education bodies. At this time the details of the incident and the condition of the injured are still being clarified. We are working to obtain a complete situation picture and will update with verified details later."
