8Killed, 14 Injured When a Bus Plows into Soldiers, Civilians

8 Killed, 14 Injured When a Bus Plows into Soldiers, Civilians

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Eight people were killed and 14 others wounded Wednesday morning when a bus rammed into a group of people near Tel Aviv, Israel, latest radio reports said.

The incident took place when the bus plowed into 25 Israeli soldiers and civilians who were waiting at a bus stop near Holon, 20 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, Israeli public radio added.

Among the wounded, two are in serious condition.

After police arrived at the spot to handle the incident, the driver drove off at high speed, with police cars and a helicopter in hot pursuit. Police fired at the fleeing vehicle. The driver was wounded and captured by the police.

The police have described the incident as "a deliberate terror attack."

Egged, a bus company, said the driver, a 35-year-old Palestinian from Gaza, has worked for it since 1996 to transport Palestinian workers between Gaza and Israel.

The attack occurred against a backdrop that there has been a marked rise of Israeli-Palestinian clashes following the right-wing Likud leader Ariel Sharon was elected Israel's new prime minister on February 6.