Photo by
Sara Yahimovich/TPS-IL on 14 October, 2026
13-Year-Old Killed in School Hike Blast Laid to Rest in Northern Israel
Jerusalem, 14 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Thirteen-year-old Elazar Yair Wilensky was buried Wednesday in Ma’alot-Tarshiha after being killed in a munitions explosion during a school hike in northern Israel. The blast injured 25 others, six of them seriously.
Wilensky’s funeral included tributes from family members, who remembered a boy full of energy and enthusiasm for life, nature and exploring the country.
Israelis pay their respects to Elazar Yair Wilensky, 13, who was buried in Ma’alot-Tarshiha on Oct. 14, 2026. Wilensky was killed and 25 others injured when unexploded Hezbollah ordnance picked up by a student detonated during a school hike. Photo by Sara Yahimovich/TPS-IL
“Too short, but it was so full and beautiful. You loved life, and life loved you back,” his mother, Yehudit, said. “You loved nature and hiking from an early age.”
His brother Dov recalled Yair’s love of sports and the outdoors, describing him as hardworking and sociable. He also shared a memory of asking his brother what he wanted in exchange for joining a group.
“Yes, take me on a two-day trip to the Golan Heights,” Dov recalled Yair replying.
“I promise that I will go on this trip with you in my heart,” Dov said at the funeral, urging those present to continue traveling across Israel and participating in sports in his brother’s memory. He also wished the injured students and teachers a full recovery.
The explosion occurred at Mitzpeh Peer, an overlook near Kibbutz Neot Mordechai and the Lebanese border. Approximately 50 students in grades seven through nine from the ORT Ma’alot High School Yeshiva in Ma’alot-Tarshiha were participating in an annual school outing.
According to an initial Israel Defense Forces (IDF) investigation, one of the students picked up a munition and placed it in a bag. The IDF believes the object was a cluster munition from a Hezbollah missile.
The Education Ministry said the trip had been approved in accordance with Jewish National Fund restrictions and that participants had been instructed never to touch unexploded ammunition or missile debris. The ministry said the planned route was outside the prohibited area and that the actual itinerary and circumstances of the explosion were under review.
The Jewish National Fund had previously prohibited hiking in the Naftali Mountains because of similar safety concerns. Following the incident, Education Minister Yoav Kisch suspended educational trips in the area for 48 hours.
The Ma’alot-Tarshiha Municipality said welfare teams and educational psychology services were providing emotional support to students, families and school staff affected by the tragedy.
