A 14-year-old boy, Elazar Yair Wilensky, died Monday when unexploded Hezbollah ammunition detonated during a school trip near the Lebanese border, injuring 24 others. The blast struck the Manara mountain range, roughly 50 to 100 metres from the frontier, according to the Israeli newspaper Maariv. The site lies close to an Israeli military post that combat engineering troops had manned during the war, a position that took heavy Hezbollah fire.
The Israeli military alleges Hezbollah fired the device, a cluster munition, during the war. Its origin hasn't been independently established. But the setting fits that account: a hillside beside a post that absorbed sustained bombardment, now scattered with its remains.
What Happened on the Trail
Students from ORT Ma'alot religious high school found the munition while hiking near the border, Haaretz reported. Some handled it and took photographs with it. "He was playing with the bomb," one student told Haaretz. "Some of the kids told him to leave it, but no one thought it contained explosives. We continued along the trail and stopped to pray at one point. After the prayer, he played with it again, put it back in his bag, and then there was a massive explosion."
The boy's funeral took place. He was described as "a child full of joy, a good and beloved friend."
A Gap in the Safeguards
An initial investigation found that no one had physically sealed off or clearly marked a nearby restricted zone. Israel's education ministry said Tuesday it was examining whether the students had strayed from their approved route. The ministry said it had authorised the route and that it complied with restrictions imposed by the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), which manages the area. "The planned route did not pass through the prohibited area," it said, adding that pre-trip safety instructions barred touching unexploded ordnance and required students to report any discovery.
KKL-JNF officials offered Haaretz a different account. They said the dangerous area had been designated off-limits in May 2025, about one year and five months ago, but remained physically accessible, without clear signs or barriers. The organisation said it had informed the Education Ministry but lacked the authority to approve school trips or seal off the area. The ministry acknowledged that it knew KKL-JNF had closed a dangerous route along the Ramim Ridge, and said it approved an alternative route that accounted for the restriction. That route passed close to another area closed because of unexploded ordnance, where people still had unrestricted access. Investigators are weighing whether students deviated or the ministry defined the route incorrectly.
Haaretz columnist Rogel Alpher was blunt. He wrote that students passed the munition around, put it in bags, photographed themselves holding it and sent images to their parents. "At least some staff were aware of what was happening, yet they let it happen," Alpher wrote. "They failed to grasp the extent of the danger." He also wrote: "The selfies show that the students knew it was a bomb. Perhaps they saw it as a war souvenir, a trophy of war."
The Wider Warning
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Israel warned American citizens about unexploded ordnance across extensive areas of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The danger is particularly great near border areas, the embassy said, and many locations aren't marked. "Rain, flooding, agricultural work, and construction activities frequently bring buried munitions to the surface, making them more unstable," it said. Small, round cluster bomblets may look like balls or toys, the embassy cautioned. "Assume that any unidentified object is dangerous." Its three-step rule: recognize, retreat, report. People should report suspicious objects to Israel Police at 100.
The embassy told people not to touch ordnance, throw objects at it, use phones or two-way radios nearby, or collect casings, fragments or souvenirs. It urged them to stay on paved roads and familiar trails.
The Northern Front
The hillside where the boy died lies in territory emptied during the fighting. Dozens of towns in northern Israel were evacuated during the conflict. The Israeli military continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, having expanded its invasion since fighting with Hezbollah resumed in March. Israeli strikes have continued despite a framework agreement signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv in June, about four months ago. On Monday, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israeli attacks over the past three years had killed 8,596 people and wounded 30,660.
Why This Matters: The boy's death shows that a war's danger doesn't end when the shooting slows. Hezbollah's munitions remain scattered across northern Israeli terrain, where returning residents, hikers and schoolchildren now share ground with unexploded ordnance that a framework agreement can't clear. Israeli authorities face hard questions about marking and sealing contaminated areas, and about who has the authority to do so. From a security perspective, the episode also reinforces why Israeli officials keep pressing on the northern front: civilians can't safely reclaim a border zone littered with an armed group's leftover weapons.