The student killed yesterday in an accidental explosion after investigating an abandoned cluster munition near the Lebanese border has been identified as ninth-grader Elazar Yair Wilensky. JNS reports that the IDF has confirmed the ordnance was an unexploded munition left in the area by Hezbollah, although it remains unclear whether it was left there intentionally. Another 23 students and a 61-year-old teacher were wounded in the blast after a student picked up the munition and placed it in a bag. It exploded a short time later.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited students wounded in the explosion at Rambam.
Netanyahu instructed the commander of the IDF’s Home Front Command to strengthen public warnings about unexploded munitions, emphasize the prohibition against touching them and conduct extensive searches for additional devices, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Eitan Masauri, 14, who suffered a shrapnel wound to his neck, described how another student handled the explosive device before it detonated.
“He unscrewed it, and then it exploded,” Masauri said. “The guys were thrown into the air. There was a moment of shock for about two seconds.” He added, “I realized I was hurt; I saw that a friend was injured, and I tried to help him.”
The IDF’s Home Front Command announced on Tuesday that it is expanding public warnings about unexploded ordnance following the deadly blast during Monday’s school hike in northern Israel.
It was also revealed that Wilensky was 14 years old, not 15 as initially reported. The youngest of five children, he is remembered as a boy who loved life and learning, was a good friend to others, and was a talented fencer. In response to the incident, the Ministry of Education has rerouted all school trips planned near the northern border and in parts of the Golan Heights for the next several days.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir offered their condolences to the Wilensky family and expressed their support for the injured students and teacher recovering in hospitals.
During this difficult time, The Fellowship and our supporters join Israel in mourning Elazar and praying for the Wilensky family. We also pray for a swift recovery for the injured students and teacher, as well as for the safety of the security forces, and praise God for the first responders who helped save lives.