Dozens wounded in Israel as truck rams into Tel Aviv bus stop

A truck rammed a bus stop north of Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, injuring at least 40 people, 10 of them critically, officials say.

The incident happened on Sunday at a bus stop near the Gillot Israeli military base, with rescue workers saying several people were trapped under the truck.Photos and videos on social media showed several people pinned down under the truck as medics and rescuers tried to help. Police cordoned off the area and a security helicopter hovered above.

Police did not immediately say whether it was a deliberate attack.

“At 10:08 am [08:08 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 emergency service said in a statement.

The Jerusalem Post news website quoted police as saying civilians who were on the scene had shot at the truck driver to stop him.

Abed Abou Shhade, a journalist from Jaffa in Israel, told Al Jazeera the truck driver is believed to be a Palestinian citizen from northern Tel Aviv.

“The civilians who witnessed the incident killed the driver as soon as they saw who he was,” he said.

“The police initially framed it as a terror attack. But now they have changed their line, saying the matter is still under investigation,” he added. “Everything is under speculation.”

Abou Shhade said due to the increasing tensions in Israel, suspects in such attacks are automatically labelled “terrorists” if the incident involves people of Arab background, even in cases where the circumstances are not clear.