The attack, in which a truck ran into a bus stop close to a military base, took place around 10 am. (Image: Reuters)Reuters

1 killed, 40 injured in suspected terror attack at Israeli bus stop

Israeli police said about 40 people were injured to varying degrees, including some seriously, and were taken to nearby hospitals.

27 Oct 2024, 14:28 by Sahil Sinha · India Today

In Short

Truck hits bus stop near Tel Aviv, suspected terrorist attack
Victim died at Ichilov Medical Center, others treated at nearby hospitals
Driver neutralised by civilian, accused identified as Israeli Arab

One person was killed and around 40 were injured in Israel's Tel Aviv on Sunday after a truck collided with a bus stop at a prominent intersection in the city. Israeli police suspect it to be a terrorist attack and are investigating the driver's motives.

Notably, the incident occurred close to the Glilot military base around 10 am (0800 GMT) when the truck driver, an Israeli citizen, veered off course while traveling from north to south and crashed into the bus stop, ramming both a bus and the people waiting there.

The driver was subsequently shot and 'neutralised' by an armed civilian in the area, according to a report by news agency Reuters.

Israeli police work at the scene where a truck rammed into pedestrians at a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon in Israel. (Image: Reuters)

Around 40 people sustained injuries, with some in serious condition. Those injured were quickly transported to nearby hospitals, including Tel Aviv's Ichilov Medical Center, where one of the victims tragically succumbed to his injuries.

Sheba Medical Center, another medical facility in the region, treated eight of the injured, including both civilians and soldiers, police said.

Israeli medical teams work at the scene where a truck rammed into pedestrians at a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon. (Image: Reuters)

The Israeli media reported that the driver was an Israeli Arab from Qalansawe, a town in central Israel.

Iran-backed terror group Hamas released a statement shortly after the incident, praising the "heroic ramming attack" that was carried out near "Mossad headquarters".

The Glilot area, located near Herzliya, houses the headquarters of Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency. This area also accommodates several units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence branch, most notably the prominent signals intelligence Unit 8200, known for its role in national security and cyber intelligence.

"A natural response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation against our Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and its ongoing brutal massacres, especially in the northern Gaza Strip," the Times of Israel quoted Hamas as saying, though the terror group did not take responsibility for the incident.