(Oct. 12, 2026 / JNS)
One person was killed and nearly 20 wounded in an explosion near Kibbutz Neot Mordechai in Israel’s Galilee Panhandle on Monday afternoon, according to Israeli officials and medical responders.
The Magen David Adom emergency response group said it was treating several casualties with “varying degrees of injury.” According to Israeli media, a total of 19 people were injured in the incident near the Lebanese border.
Channel 12 News reported that the wounded were part of a group of schoolchildren hiking in the area.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the fatality, offering condolences to the family of the 15-year-old boy.
“IDF forces are at the scene, assisting the rescue forces and will continue to assist as required,” Katz wrote. “The incident is being investigated to clarify its circumstances, and I thank all the teams in the field who are working to save lives and treat the casualties.”
The Israel Police said officers, including bomb disposal experts, were heading to the site and working to identify the source of the blast. An initial review suggested that the explosion was “likely caused by an unexploded cluster munition belonging to Hezbollah that had remained in the area,” according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF said Israeli Air Force helicopters were en route, adding that soldiers had also been dispatched to assist.
“The circumstances of the incident are under review,” the military said.
Israel’s Education Ministry said it was assisting pupils and staff affected by the incident. “This is an extremely difficult incident, and our thoughts are with the wounded and their families,” the ministry said in a Hebrew-language post on X.
It urged the public not to spread unverified information while details were still emerging.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was updated on the “severe incident in the north,” his office said.
He spoke with his military secretary, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Magen David Adom Director General Eli Bin, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The prime minister asked to ensure that the injured are being evacuated as quickly as possible to hospitals and is continuing to hold ongoing assessments,” the statement said.