Eight people, including six IDF soldiers, were brutally rammed at a bus stop in central Israel in a declared terror attack, sparking a frantic manhunt for the driver who abandoned his vehicle and fled, while two victims remain in moderate condition.
Central Israel was rocked by a declared terror attack on Thursday morning, leaving eight people injured after a vehicle deliberately rammed into a bus stop near the entrance of Kfar Yona. The incident, which police swiftly confirmed as an act of terrorism, has triggered a massive manhunt for the assailant who fled the chaotic scene on foot.
Of the eight victims, two are in moderate condition, while the remaining six sustained light injuries. All injured individuals remained fully conscious and were swiftly evacuated to Laniado, Hillel Yaffe, and Meir hospitals, suffering primarily from limb injuries. The IDF later confirmed that all eight victims were soldiers, with two moderately injured and six lightly injured. Their families have been notified.
Magen David Adom (MDA) teams were immediately on site, providing critical medical treatment to the victims, all of whom were caught off guard while waiting at the bus stop. MDA EMT Idan Haras described a scene of “chaos and destruction,” with “multiple people injured.” He recounted rapidly providing first aid, including bandaging and bleeding control, before evacuating the injured to the hospital.
The assailant, who carried out the ramming, abandoned a white Toyota vehicle and vanished on foot, prompting an immediate and extensive police manhunt. A police helicopter was rapidly deployed to aid in the aerial search. Shortly thereafter, the suspected vehicle was located by the helicopter near the Beit Lid military base, abandoned, confirming the driver had indeed fled on foot. In response, security forces have sealed off key crossings in the area, including the vital road leading to Tulkarm, as the search intensifies.
The circumstances surrounding the ramming remain under active investigation, but authorities are treating it with the utmost gravity as a clear act of terror. This incident marks a grim reminder of the ongoing security challenges in central Israel and highlights the ever-present threat of such attacks.
