JERUSALEM (JTA) — Five members of an Israeli family were injured when a mine exploded in a northern Israel minefield.
A family hiking near Kibbutz Merom Golan in the Golan Heights on Saturday accidentally entered what the Israel Defense Forces said was a clearly marked and fenced-off minefield area.
A boy, 11, suffered severe injuries to his leg, and his sister, 12, was moderately injured in the face from shrapnel. A third sibling and their parents also sustained minor injuries, according to the IDF.
The children had wanted to play in the snow, family members told Israeli media. The family said the area looked open and they did not see signs warning of the danger of mines, according to reports.
The IDF conceded that the signs may have been covered by snow, though it insisted the area was fenced off.
Other families reportedly were playing in the snow in the same area.
In southern Israel, a Kassam rocket fired from Gaza landed in Sderot on Sunday afternoon. A Color Red alert sounded in Sderot and surrounding communities shortly before the rocket landed in an open field, according to reports. There were no injuries or damage reported.
