2 teens killed in crash in central Israel; 7 injured, including 1 in critical condition
Ashdod-area highschoolers Shira Naim, 16, Aharon Peretz, 18, identified as fatalities; police says minibus carrying teens hit parked car near Sorek interchange late at night
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Two teenagers were killed in a road accident involving a minibus in central Israel Wednesday night. The crash left seven others injured, including three seriously, according to medics.
Shira Naim, 16, from Sde Uziahu, and Aharon Peretz, 18, from Ashdod, were identified as the two fatalities.
The crash took place late Wednesday night at the Sorek interchange, a major junction of several highways east of Ashdod.
According to police, Naim and Peretz were traveling in a minibus, which struck a car parked on the side of the highway. The minibus, which was filled with teenagers from the Ashdod area, was on its way to Jerusalem, Hebrew media reported.
The two teens were pronounced dead at the scene, the Magen David Adom emergency services said, adding that seven others were taken to nearby hospitals for injuries.
According to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, three teens, all 17-years-old, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. One is in critical condition, the hospital added.
טרגדיה מחרידה הלילה בכביש:
ההרוגים בתאונה הקטלנית בכביש 7 סמוך למחלף שורק הם : שירה נעים, תלמידת כיתה י' בת 16.
ואהרון פרץ (18), תלמיד כיתה י"ב מאשדוד.
השניים נסעו במיניבוס שפגע במשאית שחנתה בשול הכביש, בדרך מטיול בירושלים.הנהג שנעצר בן מיעוטים, היה בשלילה עם 21 עבירות תנועה. pic.twitter.com/OaDdM9Io3h
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) May 21, 2026
All three are on ventilators, the hospital added.
“This was a very serious traffic accident,” a medic told Channel 12. “The minibus was completely crushed.”
Police said that traffic investigators have opened a probe into the incident.
The Times of Israel Community.