Truck attack in Ramat HaSharon heightens tensions in Israel
On Sunday morning, a truck collided with a bus stop in Ramat HaSharon, north of Tel Aviv, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to over 30 others. Hamas described the attack as a "heroic ramming attack," while Israeli Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for stricter laws.
The incident occurred when the bus was stopped at the station and passengers were disembarking. The truck driver, from the town of Kalansuwa in central Israel, was shot on the spot by armed civilians, according to Israeli media reports.
The victims of the attack were mainly elderly individuals who were heading to a nearby museum.
They were supposed to participate in commemorations for the victims of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which marked the beginning of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the "Times of Israel." The fighting continues to this day, and besides efforts to subdue the Gaza Strip, Israel has decided to attack Lebanon and Iran, which support Hamas and Hezbollah militants.
In a statement issued to global media, Hamas claimed that this "heroic attack" is a "natural response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation against our Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and its ongoing brutal massacres, especially in the northern Gaza Strip." Israelis view this as yet another act of terror by Palestinians.
In response to the attack, Israel's Minister of Internal Security and leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for the implementation of a law to deport relatives of terrorists. The bill is currently being processed in the Knesset. If enacted, it could further strain relations between the two populations in the region.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated on Sunday that Iran is no longer able to effectively use the Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel. This is a result of Israeli forces' attacks on targets in Tehran.
Galant spoke a day after the Israeli army carried out strikes in several regions of Iran on missile production sites, surface-to-air missile launchers, and other systems.
