KFAR YONA: The Israeli military said eight soldiers were wounded on Thursday when a driver deliberately rammed his car into a bus stop in what police called a “terror attack.”
The army said two soldiers were “moderately injured” and six “lightly injured” in the attack at the Beit Lid junction near Kfar Yona in central Israel.
“The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified,” it said in a statement.
There has been a spate of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank since the start of the war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the Palestinian militants’ attack on October 7, 2023.
A teenager died in March this year when police said a car driven by a Palestinian man deliberately plowed into civilians at a bus stop in northern Israel.
One witness to Thursday’s ramming said the driver cut her off the road near Kfar Yona, then “turned his wheel to the right, full gas, as fast as he could, and hit as many people as he could.”
Kineret Hanuka, 45, told AFP: “I saw only blood and heard them screaming: ‘It hurts!’... It was so hard for me to see this.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) first responders said they received a report at 9:25 am (0625 GMT) that a vehicle had crashed into a bus stop near Kfar Yona.
They said that the wounded had chest, limb and head injuries.
Israeli police spokesman Dedan Elsdunne described the incident as a “terror attack, where a terrorist rammed his vehicle into individuals who were standing here waiting to catch the bus.”
“He (the attacker) then attempted to flee. He abandoned his vehicle and fled from that location. We had large police forces who immediately arrived here, set up a perimeter so that we can locate this individual.”
The car was later recovered and the driver is being hunted using helicopters, motorbikes and a specialist dog unit, police added.
The site of the crash was cordoned off as forensic investigators combed the scene, AFP journalists reported.
In Israel, at least 32 people, including soldiers, have died in attacks by Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
In the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, at least 960 Palestinians, including many fighters but also civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to Palestinian Authority figures.
At the same time, at least 36 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, Israeli figures showed.
Israeli military says eight soldiers wounded in car-ramming attack
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Israeli military says eight soldiers wounded in car-ramming attack
- There has been a spate of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank since the start of the war against Hamas in Gaza
Ramallah talks focus on border crossings
- The meeting discussed ways to upgrade infrastructure and facilities at the Karama crossing, particularly arrival halls and cargo and transport areas, automate procedures and services, strengthen staff capacities, and combat smuggling
RAMALLAH: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa chaired a meeting at his office in Ramallah on Saturday to review developments at border crossings, including the Karama crossing in the West Bank and the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip, as well as ways to develop and upgrade the crossings.
The meeting focused on improving the management and governance system for Palestinian crossings to clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and tasks of the parties involved, thereby contributing to the national economy, commercial activity, and travel services.
Mustafa reiterated that the crossings issue is a priority at all levels, as it directly affects citizens.
He stressed the need to intensify engagement with all parties to extend operating hours for passenger and cargo movement, and to develop travel and cargo transport mechanisms.
The meeting also discussed ways to upgrade infrastructure and facilities at the Karama crossing, particularly arrival halls and cargo and transport areas, automate procedures and services, strengthen staff capacities, and combat smuggling.
These measures aim to improve services for citizens, facilitate travel procedures, and enhance readiness to address congestion and travel crises, especially during the Umrah and Hajj seasons and holidays.
Meanwhile, according to local sources, Israeli forces forced Kamal Saeed Shawaneh, a Palestinian owner of a marble factory from the town of Kafr Thulth, south of Qalqilya, to carry out the demolition of his industrial facility located east of the town, on Saturday.
The facility, built on an area of roughly 300 square meters, suffered material losses estimated at more than $26,000. Israeli authorities claimed that Shawaneh did not have a permit for the factory’s construction.
The sources added that Israeli forces threatened Shawahneh with heavy fines if he did not carry out the demolition, noting that he had previously received a stop-work order for the factory in 2018.
