Ministry: Fatal Hike Route Approved, Avoided Restricted Area

The Education Ministry clarified Tuesday that the annual Galilee hike in which 15-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky z"l was killed Monday and some 20 other students wounded had been approved by the ministry in accordance with KKL guidelines and area restrictions. According to the clarification, the planned route did not include passage through the restricted zone designated following war damage.

The deadly blast occurred Monday afternoon in open terrain near Kibbutz Naot Mordechai. This morning it was cleared for publication that Elazar Yair Wilensky z"l, a ninth-grade student at Yeshivat Maalot, was the boy killed in the tragedy. Twenty-four wounded are hospitalized in northern hospitals: four in serious condition, seven moderate, and thirteen lightly wounded.

The Education Ministry stated that "the Education Ministry acted in accordance with KKL restrictions and ordered a ban on activity in the area in question due to war damage, and the planned hike route was not in the forbidden area."

The ministry further clarified that as part of the hike approval, explicit safety instructions were conveyed, including an absolute prohibition on touching missile debris and munitions, alongside an instruction to report them immediately.

An IDF spokesperson said that from an initial investigation by IDF forces at the site, it appears the explosion was likely caused by a Hezbollah cluster bomb that remained in the area and detonated.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy held a situation assessment at the blast site Monday together with Northern District Commander Meir Eliyahu. The commissioner praised the professional work of the officers and bomb disposal experts operating at the scene.

During the assessment, the commissioner was presented with the current situation and police activity at the scene. He instructed that operations to examine the circumstances of the incident continue, while maintaining public safety and isolating the scene. At the situation assessment held at the site, he decided to halt hikes to the area for the coming days, until the full picture of the tragedy becomes clear.

The Education Ministry added: "The circumstances of the incident and the route as it actually took place are now being examined as part of an investigation by the IDF and police, in cooperation with the Education Ministry and relevant professional bodies. The findings of the investigation must be awaited before the full circumstances of the incident can be determined."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu arrived Monday at Rambam Hospital together with Education Minister Kisch to visit wounded teens and their families. The prime minister instructed the Home Front Command chief to sharpen the instructions and warnings to the general public, to emphasize the severe prohibition on touching debris, and to scan wide areas to locate debris.

The Education Ministry clarified that in the coming days it will continue, together with relevant partners, to review the framework for activity approvals and the safety instructions accompanying them. A ministry source noted that the hike was approved by the ministry and that between 45 and 48 students and a small number of staff members participated.