JERUSALEM – At least 29 people were injured on Oct 27 when a truck rammed into a bus stop at a major intersection north of Tel Aviv in central Israel.

       The truck’s driver was “shot and neutralised” by civilians, Israeli police said in a statement, but it did not clarify whether it was an attack.

       In a separate incident, Israeli soldiers killed a man who tried to stab them during a “counter-terrorism” operation near Jerusalem, the military said, describing it as a “terror attack”.

       The truck ramming incident occurred at Ahron Yariv Boulevard in Ramat Hasharon near the commercial hub of Tel Aviv.

       Preliminary police findings showed the truck driver also hit a bus that stopped at the same station to drop off passengers, the police said in a statement.

       At least 29 people were injured, including six who were in serious condition, emergency service providers Magen David Adom said in a separate statement.

       Police did not clarify whether it was an attack.

       Paramedic Elior Yosef, who arrived at the bus stop after the incident, said he saw eight people “trapped under the truck”.

       “A number of further casualties were either lying or walking near the truck,” he was quoted as saying in the statement issued by Magen David Adom.

       Officers and ambulances rushed to the scene, where journalists saw police cordoning off the area as medics helped the injured and a helicopter hovered above.

       Palestinian militant group Hamas, in a statement, said the “heroic ramming attack” that was carried out near “Mossad headquarters... was in response to the crimes committed by the Zionist occupation” against Palestinians.

       In a separate incident, a man who tried to stab a group of soldiers was killed in the area of Hizma near Jerusalem.

       “A terrorist accelerated with his vehicle toward IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers who were conducting counter-terrorism activity adjacent to the area of Hizma,” the military said in a statement, without identifying the attacker.

       “The terrorist pulled out a knife from his vehicle and attempted to carry out a stabbing attack. The soldiers eliminated the terrorist and thwarted the attempted terror attack,” it said, adding that no soldiers were injured.

       Since the war in Gaza broke out on Oct 7, 2023, there have been several attacks in Israel carried out by Palestinian militants.

       At least 30 people in Israel, including Israeli soldiers, have been killed in such attacks, according to a tally based on official Israeli figures.

       The incidents on Oct 27 come as Israel held ceremonies to mark the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Oct 7 Hamas attack. AFP