Death may wait underfoot - Israel faces a threat
In northern Israel, a 15-year-old teenager was killed and 19 others injured in an ammunition explosion. The incident has again exposed the problem of unexploded ordnance and old minefields: according to IDF data from 2022, in the Northern Military District zone alone there are about 4,000 minefields covering roughly 85,000 dunams.
An ammunition explosion in northern Israel killed a 15-year-old teenager and injured 19 others. The incident has again exposed a problem that, according to the publication, continues to threaten children, tourists and military personnel: despite years of demining, thousands of dangerous areas remain in the country. The publication recalls previous cases. In February 2010, on the Golan Heights, five people were injured during a family outing, and 11-year-old Daniel Yuval had part of his leg amputated; the family said they had not noticed warning signs. In May 2013, 19-year-old soldier Roi Yisrael Alfi was killed during engineering work in the southern Golan, and an investigation revealed violations by the command. In April 2017, near a Bedouin village in the Segev Shalom area, six-year-old Omer and ten-year-old Muhammad Abu-Kweider were killed. According to IDF data from 2022, in the area of responsibility of the Northern Military District alone there were about 4,000 minefields with a total area of roughly 85,000 dunams. The National Demining Authority under the Ministry of Defense reported clearing about 9,000 dunams and removing about 200,000 mines since its establishment. Dangerous areas remain in the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley and the Arava. The Ministry of Defense urges citizens not to approach suspicious metal objects.