Ramat HaSharon attack: Escalating tensions in Israel and beyond
On Sunday morning, a lorry collided with a bus stop in Ramat HaSharon, north of Tel Aviv, resulting in the death of one person and injuring more than 30 people. Hamas described the attack as a "heroic ramming attack," while Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for tougher laws.
The incident occurred when the bus halted at the station for passengers to alight. The lorry driver, from the town of Kalansuwa in central Israel, was shot dead on the spot by armed civilians, according to Israeli media reports.
The victims of the attack were mainly elderly individuals heading to a nearby museum.
They were supposed to participate in commemorations for the victims of Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which sparked the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the "Times of Israel." The fighting continues to this day and, besides aiming to subdue the Gaza Strip, Israel has decided to target Lebanon and Iran, which support Hamas and Hezbollah militants.
In a statement issued to global media, Hamas stated that this "heroic ramming 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 adoption of a law to deport relatives of terrorists. The bill is currently being processed in the Knesset. If enacted, it will further antagonise relations between the two populations in the region.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant stated on Sunday that Iran is no longer able to effectively use the Palestinian organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel. This development follows Israeli forces' attack 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.
