Elazar Yair Vilensky z"l killed in Galil hiking blast

Elazar Yair Wilensky z"l, a ninth-grade student at Yeshivat Maalot, has been named as the boy killed in Monday's hiking tragedy in the Galil, authorities cleared for publication Tuesday morning.

Twenty-four students injured in the blast remain hospitalized in northern hospitals. According to updated figures, four are in serious condition, seven in moderate condition, and 13 lightly wounded.

His family said he was "a child of life itself, wise and understanding, full of joy, a beloved friend, with his whole future ahead of him." The youngest of five children, Yair is survived by his parents, three sisters, and a brother.

The explosion occurred Monday afternoon in open terrain near Kibbutz Naot Mordechai in the Galil Elyon during an annual hike for middle- and high-school students.

Rescue and medical forces were dispatched immediately, along with Magen David Adom and Air Force helicopters. Itzik Shoshen, MDA's Jordan Region director, who was at the scene, said: "Upon receiving the report of an explosion in the Galil Elyon Regional Council area, we rushed to the scene with large forces of ambulances, intensive-care units, and an MDA helicopter that was also scrambled."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrived at Rambam Hospital together with Education Minister Kisch to visit the wounded and their families. The prime minister instructed the Home Front Command chief to sharpen public warnings and instructions, emphasizing the severe prohibition on touching unexploded ordnance and to scan wide areas for remaining munitions.

The scene in the north (Photo: United Hatzalah spokesperson)

Eitan Masauri, a 14-year-old student wounded by shrapnel in the neck, told the prime minister: "I understood I was injured. I saw a friend wounded and tried to help him."

An Education Ministry official noted that the hike had been approved by the ministry and that between 45 and 48 students participated, along with a small number of staff. The ministry said in a statement: "This is an extremely difficult incident, and our thoughts are with the wounded and their families. The Education Ministry is working together with security forces and all professional bodies to provide support to the students, educational staff, and families."

An IDF spokesperson said: "Following the explosion that occurred in the north of the country, from an initial investigation by IDF forces at the site, it appears that this was a Hezbollah cluster bomb that remained in the area and detonated. The incident is still under investigation. IDF forces continue to scan and operate in the area."

Police Commissioner Dani Levy held a situation assessment at the scene of the blast in the Galil Elyon, together with Northern District Commander Meir Elihu and professional officials. The commissioner praised the professional work of the officers and bomb-disposal experts operating at the site and instructed continued operations to examine the circumstances of the incident.

At the situation assessment held at the site, it was decided to halt hikes to the area for the coming days until the full picture of the tragedy becomes clear.