Education Minister Yoav Kisch addressed on Tuesday the tragic incident that occurred yesterday during an annual school field trip near Ma’alot, in which a student was killed as a result of an unexploded ordnance blast. In a statement to Channel 14 correspondent Gal Tubi, Minister Kisch emphasized that the hike’s original route was not scheduled to cross into terrain designated by the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) as a prohibited zone for activity.
1+An official statement from the Ministry of Education noted that the ministry operated fully in line with restrictions imposed by KKL, explicitly barring activities in sectors compromised by wartime damage. The ministry also said the official excursion permit included strict safety directives, including an absolute prohibition on touching rocket fragments and unexploded munitions.
Nevertheless, authorities are currently investigating the precise circumstances of the incident and the route taken on the ground. The IDF, the Israel Police, and the Ministry of Education are conducting the inquiry jointly. Ministry officials stressed that the public must wait for the joint investigation’s final findings before drawing definitive conclusions about all aspects of the tragic event.
1+In the aftermath of the disaster, the Ministry of Education announced it will conduct a thorough review of operational field-approval protocols in the coming days. This re-assessment will take place alongside all relevant professional and security bodies, aiming to refine and sharpen mandatory safety guidelines governing school trips and outdoor field excursions.