Police are investigating suspicions that one of the students hiking in the north found the unexploded shell and placed it in his bag, where it detonated while he stood next to his friends on the trail. Concurrently, the IDF is examining whether permission was granted for the hike to pass through the area in question, and whether the approval went through the standard channels. Authorities are also investigating whether the ordnance item was left at the site by IDF units, or if it was Hezbollah ordnance that was fired but failed to detonate until now.