Dozens injured as truck hits bus stop near Tel Aviv

The Israeli emergency service and police said a truck rammed into a bus stop north of the commercial hub Tel Aviv on Sunday, injuring dozens of people.

In addition to being near the Mossad headquarters, the bus stop is also close to a central highway junction, and the incident came as Israelis were returning to work after a weeklong holiday.

Asi Aharoni, an Israeli police spokesperson, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that the “attacker was neutralized,” indicating police were treating the incident as an attack. It wasn’t clear whether the suspect was stopped or killed.

"At 10:08 am (0808 GMT), a report was received... of a truck hitting a bus stop on Aharon Yariv Boulevard in Ramat Hasharon... Paramedics are currently providing medical treatment on site to dozens of casualties," the Magen David Adom service said in a statement.

At least 16 people were initially transported to nearby hospitals, the emergency service said in a later update. Police confirmed multiple injuries.

Officers and ambulances rushed to the scene, where Israeli television channels showed police cordoning off the area as medics helped the injured. A helicopter hovered above.

The incident comes as Israel marks the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.