Israeli president condemns fuel-truck attack in the West Bank

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said that “this has been a very painful and difficult morning for the people of Israel” because of an attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a helicopter crash in Gaza.

Speaking in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, Herzog described Wednesday's attack as a “horrific, criminal terror attack” and expressed “sorrow for the pain it has inflicted.” He did not elaborate but was apparently referring to the incident when a fuel tanker crashed into a West Bank bus stop, seriously injuring one person. Israeli officials said it was an attack.

The Israeli military said the driver was “neutralized” at the scene. It did not immediately identify the driver or provide evidence that the crash was an attack. Violence in the West Bank has escalated since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack ignited the war in Gaza.

Herzog also said at a joint news conference with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic that “my heart also goes out to the fighters who were killed last night in a helicopter crash in Gaza and I wish those wounded a full and swift recovery.”

The Israeli military said that two Israeli soldiers died and seven were injured when their helicopter crashed in the southern Gaza Strip overnight in a non-combat-related incident.