Sounds from an explosion were heard in the southern city of Eilat on Thursday afternoon after an unmanned aircraft crashed in the Tze'elim Elementary School.Israel Police officers, including bomb disposal units, are currently investigating the situation and have closed off several roads in the city. Local residents have been asked in the meantime to keep away from the site. "Everything is under the control of the security forces," Chief Superintendent of the Eilat Region Moshe Karadi stated.
The IDF confirmed that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had hit the building but failed to confirm whether it was an Israeli drone or not. "A short while ago, a UAV hit a civilian building in the city of Eilat, in southern Israel. The identity of the UAV and the details of the incident are under review," the IDF said in a statement.
At the time of the explosion, some 37 students of the kindergarten and 6 communication students were in the lower building and were immediately evacuated to the bomb shelter. With the approval of the Home Front Command, the students were then evacuated and collected by their parents.
"Due to concerns about a security incident that occurred in the last hour at the Tz'elim Elementary School, Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri has ordered the cancelation of after-school activities today in all settings," the city's municipality said in a statement. Studies were also canceled on Friday.
Eilat has been relatively quiet since the IDF response to Hamas's October 7 attacks but did come under attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels who launched long-range missile and drone attacks last week.