Yarkon, 12 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): At least one boy was killed and around 19 others were injured in an explosion during a school trip in northern Israel near the Lebanese border on Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. The explosion occurred while a group of Israeli high school students was hiking in the area, with officials suspecting that unexploded ordnance may have caused the incident. Katz expressed condolences to the family of the deceased boy and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, adding that an investigation had been launched. According to Israeli police, approximately 20 people sustained injuries of varying severity. The municipality of Maalot-Tarshiha said the victims included students and staff members from a religious high school who were on an outing. Emergency medical teams from Magen David Adom responded to the scene, with initial reports indicating that eight injured people were in serious or moderate condition. The Israeli military dispatched soldiers to assist the victims, while military helicopters were also sent to the area to support rescue and evacuation efforts. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled his scheduled engagements and began receiving updates on what his office described as a serious incident. He directed authorities to ensure that the injured were evacuated to hospitals as quickly as possible. The explosion occurred amid continued tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Israeli forces have been carrying out strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah has periodically launched rockets across the border.