A truck driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop in central Israel early Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 36 people – six seriously – before he was “shot and neutralised” by bystanders, police said.
Preliminary police findings showed the rammer also hit a bus that had stopped at the same location near Glilot military base to drop off passengers, the police said in a statement as seen by AP.
Authorities confirmed the attack came near the base of Israel’s 8200 intelligence unit, which has previously been targeted by Hezbollah and Iranian forces.
The force however said civilians at the site of the incident “shot the truck driver and neutralised him” before ambulances began arriving to treat the wounded.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a “natural response” to Israel’s actions in “Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem,” NBC News noted.
Earlier on Sunday the Magen David Adom emergency service said the incident occurred at Aharon Yariv Boulevard in Ramat HaSharon, north of the commercial hub Tel Aviv.
Of those injured, at least 16 people had been transported to nearby hospitals, MDA said in a statement, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir makes makes inspections at the scene where a truck crashed into a bus stop, south of Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 27, 2024. At least 36 people were injured as a truck rammed into a bus station in central Israel on Sunday, according to local media. It is stated that at least six people were in serious condition in the incident. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Officers and ambulances rushed to the scene, where Israeli television channels showed police cordoning off the area as medics helped the injured and a helicopter hovered above.
The incident comes as Israel holds ceremonies to mark the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.