At least 1 dead and 17 injured after being rammed by car in Israeli city

One woman has been killed and 17 people have been injured fter being struck by a vehicle in the central Israeli city of Raanana on Monday. Two suspects have been arrested in relation to the attack.

The alleged car-ramming incident took place across three locations in the city, a short distance north of Tel Aviv.

There were also reports of at least one person being stabbed, although it is unclear if the incidents were linked.

Israeli security officials respond to the suspected ramming attack in Raanana which has left more than 19 people injured

(REUTERS)

A cordon has been put up around one of the location s of the alleged attack

(AFP via Getty Images)

The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service said that the confirmed number of people injured is likely to rise with the ramming incident having taken place across three separate locations.

The victim who passed away from her injuries is reported to be a woman in her 70s, according to the Times of Israel. The woman has not been named.

A man aged 34 and a 16-year-old are in serious condition, MDA said.

Four children are also among those injured, according to The Times of Israel, with all taken to hospital in a “moderate condition”.

The incidents reportedly took place in Haroshet Street and Ahuza Street, which is the main street in the city.

Israeli police forensics personnel inspect a damaged car following a suspected ramming attack in the central town of Raanana

(AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli police say the suspect, who has been arrested, is a Palestinian from the West Bank city of Hebron. A second suspect, a relative of the alleged assailant who is also suspected of involvement in the attack, has been arrested according to the Times of Israel.

“This was apparently a suspected terrorist ramming attack,” police said in a statement. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, it added.

Ra’anana Mayor Chaim Broyde has urged peopleto stay inside as authorities deal with the incident and assess the situation. Police and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency are said to be investigating the attack.

Citing witnesses in an earlier report, Army Radio said the incident may have been a car-jacking during which the stolen vehicle crashed.

The incident comes amid heightened security tensions over the more than three-month-old war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

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