A terrifying incident occurred in northern Israel on Thursday afternoon when a vehicle rammed into pedestrians at a busy junction, leaving 12 people injured.
Police are treating the event as a suspected terror attack.
The Attack and the Aftermath
The attack took place around 4:18 pm on Highway 65, at the Karkur junction, which is south of Haifa.
The Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre, located nearby, reported receiving ten of the injured individuals.
Among them, one person is in critical condition, two are seriously injured, one is in moderate condition, and six have mild injuries.
According to Israel Police, authorities apprehended a suspect after successfully intercepting a suspicious vehicle. Police suspect this individual was responsible for the attack.
They revealed that the suspect had driven a vehicle into several people standing at a bus station, then proceeded to stab others before crashing into a police vehicle.
The Suspect and Investigation
Initial reports from Israel Police suggest that the arrested individual was a 24-year-old Israeli Arab from Ma’ale Iron.
Interestingly, the police confirmed that he had no prior criminal or security record. However, there have been conflicting reports.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN cited sources suggesting the attacker might actually have been a 53-year-old Palestinian from northern Samaria, living in Israel illegally and married to an Israeli citizen.
The attacker was shot and killed by Israeli police shortly after the incident.
Investigations are still ongoing, and authorities are exploring all possible motives and causes for the attack.
Hamas Claims Responsibility
Following the attack, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, publicly welcomed the act, calling it a “natural response” to Israel’s actions.
Hamas linked the attack to Israel’s policies regarding holy sites, urging further violence against Israeli targets.
Eyewitness Accounts of the Attack
Witnesses have provided chilling details of the attack. Maya, one eyewitness, described seeing a large black vehicle speed towards the bus stop at the junction.
“It was clear he came with intention, and drove as fast as he could,” she said, recounting how the vehicle hit several people before speeding off.
Another witness, Yoni, mentioned the chaos, as a car veered onto the sidewalk, hit several young men, and then fled the scene.
Emergency Response and Medical Treatment
Paramedics responded swiftly to the scene. Avi Cohen, a paramedic, explained the situation upon arrival, describing it as a “complex scene with a lot of commotion.”
Injured individuals were found lying in the area, and medical teams immediately began treating them for bleeding and other injuries.
Eli Bin, the director-general of Israel’s ambulance service, added that the injured were scattered across the site, and it was unclear whether this was due to an attempt to flee or the sheer force of the vehicle’s impact.
Recent Terror-Related Events in Israel
This attack comes shortly after another harrowing incident in Israel.
Just a week earlier, the country narrowly avoided disaster when three buses exploded into flames after detonators malfunctioned.
The bombs, which were mistakenly set to detonate at 9 pm instead of 9 am, could have caused a massive loss of life.
Authorities are investigating the explosions as part of a broader security threat in the region.