Apparent truck attack on bus stop near Mossad headquarters in Israel wounds dozens

Apparent truck attack on bus stop near Mossad headquarters in Israel wounds dozens

A truck rammed into a bus stop near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, wounding 35 people, according to first responders. Israeli police described it as an attack and said the assailant was an Arab citizen of Israel. The ramming occurred near the headquarters of Israel's Mossad spy agency.

In the city of Ramat Hasharon, northeast of Tel Aviv, the truck slammed into a bus at a stop as Israelis were returning to work after a weeklong holiday, leaving some people stuck under the vehicles. In addition to being near the Mossad headquarters and a military base, the bus stop is also close to a central highway junction.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said six of the wounded were in serious condition.

Asi Aharoni, an Israeli police spokesperson, told reporters that the attacker had been “neutralised,” without saying if the assailant was dead.

Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the suspected attack but did not claim it.

Palestinians have carried out scores of stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks over the years. Tensions have soared since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, as Israel has carried out regular military raids into the occupied West Bank that have left hundreds dead.

Most appear to have been militants killed during shootouts with Israeli forces, but Palestinians taking part in violent protests and civilian bystanders have also been killed.

The military said there was another attack near a checkpoint in the West Bank, in which a suspect tried to ram soldiers with his vehicle and then tried to stab them before being killed. No soldiers were wounded, it said.