One killed, dozens injured in truck ramming at Israeli bus stop

One person was killed and dozens were injured on Sunday when a truck struck a bus stop at a major intersection near Tel Aviv in central Israel in what police said they suspected was a terrorist attack.

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

Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv said one of the victims succumbed to his wounds. Nearly Sheba Medical Center said it treated eight civilians and soldiers.

The attack, in which a truck ran into a bus stop close to a military base, took place around 10 am (0800 GMT), police said, noting the driver – who had Israeli citizenship – was “neutralised” by gunfire from a nearby civilian.

“All investigative directions are being examined with an emphasis on the suspicion that this is a terror attack,” police said.

“Initial investigations suggest that the truck driver, who was traveling near the Glilot base (north of Tel Aviv) from north to south, veered off course and hit a bus and people waiting at the stop with the truck.”

Israeli media reported that the attacker was an Israeli Arab from Qalansawe in central Israel.

According to Israeli media, police were treating the incident as a terror attack.

The force, however, said civilians at the site of the incident "shot the truck driver and neutralized him.”

Of those injured, at least 16 people had been transported to nearby hospitals, the hospital said.

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 attack on Oct. 7 last year.

More than 60 living hostages, and the bodies of about 35 others taken captive by Hamas are still in Gaza, according to the Israeli authorities.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said "painful concessions" were needed to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, saying military operations alone could not achieve the country's war goals.