Teen killed, 19 hurt in Galilee blast; shell in student's bag

Disturbing details are emerging from the initial investigation into a mass-casualty incident that unfolded Monday afternoon in the northern Galilee, leaving approximately 20 people wounded in varying degrees. According to a report on I24NEWS, investigators suspect that one of the students brought the explosive device in his backpack before it detonated.

"It could have exploded on the bus," one official involved in the investigation was quoted as saying, referring to the severity of an incident that could have ended in a far greater disaster. A 15-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and approximately 19 others, students and teachers, were wounded in varying degrees.

The blast occurred shortly after 3:00 p.m. in an open area near Kibbutz Naot Mordechai in the Upper Galilee, during an annual school trip involving middle-school and high-school students.

The father of one of the students told Channel 12's main evening newscast that the trip was organized and approved. "I ask for prayers for all the wounded," the father said, adding that the victims include both middle-school and high-school students.

Evacuation in the north (Photo: Section 27a)

Itzik Shoshen, director of MDA's Jordan region, who was at the scene, described the response minutes after the incident: "Upon receiving the report of an explosion in an open area in the Upper Galilee Regional Council, we rushed to the scene with many ambulances, intensive-care units, and an MDA helicopter that was also dispatched."

Shoshen described the scene: "When we arrived, we saw a number of wounded in varying degrees. We immediately began providing medical treatment at the scene to eight wounded in serious and moderate condition, and to additional wounded in light condition. This is a complex incident; we are continuing to provide medical treatment to the wounded on site and to evacuate them quickly to the hospital."

The scene in northern Israel (Photo: MDA operational documentation)

The scene was immediately declared a mass-casualty incident, and extensive rescue and medical forces were called to the area. Three Israel Air Force helicopters were dispatched to evacuate the wounded, alongside MDA helicopters, in a race against time to extract the victims and rush them to hospitals.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement shortly after the incident: "Prime Minister Netanyahu was briefed on the details of the serious 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 being evacuated as quickly as possible to the hospitals and continues to hold ongoing situation assessments."

The circumstances of the incident are under criminal and security investigation by military and police authorities, alongside efforts to treat the wounded. Large security forces streamed to the area to seal off the site and rule out additional threats.