Israel’s emergency services are treating dozens of casualties after a truck rammed into a bus as it was dropping off passengers at a bus stop near the Glilot military base north of Tel Aviv on Sunday morning. A spokesperson for Israel’s police force said a preliminary investigation indicated that the truck collided with passengers as well as the bus. Civilians at the scene shot at the truck driver and neutralized him, according to Israeli police. A 72-year-old man died from his injuries after being taken to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the hospital confirmed. Israeli police and emergency responders are recovering the body of the truck driver. The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation, and Israeli police have not indicated whether they are treating the incident as a suspected terror attack or a traffic accident. However, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a “natural response” to Israel’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. A video geolocated by NBC News shows the immediate aftermath and the rescue operation, being narrated in Hebrew by a woman who said she was on the bus that had been rammed. In the video, several people could be seen pinned beneath the truck, with some responsive to rescue workers. Ronit Glaser of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical services, described a chaotic scene in a video posted, as responders received a call of a “mass casualty event” near Glilot Junction. MDA EMTs and Paramedics are treating and evacuating 10 injured people to Beilinson and Ichilov hospitals. Among the injured are 4 in serious condition, 2 in moderate condition, and 4 in mild condition. MDA teams are also treating multiple other casualties on-site. Updates to follow. United Hatzalah, a volunteer emergency service, said “a large number of pedestrians” were involved and that people remained trapped under the truck 30 minutes after the incident. In a separate incident later on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said “a terrorist accelerated with his vehicle toward IDF soldiers who were conducting a counterterrorism activity” in the village of Hizma, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It said the person pulled a knife from his vehicle and “attempted to carry out a stabbing attack,” but was killed by the soldiers. No IDF injuries were reported. This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
