Two women killed, one wounded after being run over by bus in Ashkelon

Two women were killed and another wounded after they were run over by a bus in Ashkelon in an incident that involved a collision between three buses, first responders said Tuesday afternoon.

The three women were pedestrians, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

Medics declared one roughly 80-year-old woman dead on the spot and rushed the two other women, both about 70 years old, to the southern city’s Barzilai Hospital, according to police and the ambulance service.

The first woman was trapped underneath the bus before medics reached her, Hebrew media reported. The two other women were hospitalized in serious and moderate condition, respectively, with the seriously wounded woman later succumbing to her wounds, according to medics.

The bus driver, a 45-year-old man, was not injured in the accident, reports said, nor were any passengers.

Police said they have launched an investigation into the collision.

אשקלון: אוטובוס פגע במספר הולכי רגל, במקום הרוגה (50) ומספר נפגעים נוספים בדרגות פציעה שונות. pic.twitter.com/kEHJPDLML6

— זירת החדשות (@ZiratNews) August 4, 2026

Meanwhile, traffic in central Israel was jammed after a large wildfire broke out in the Ben Shemen forest east of Lod in central Israel midday Tuesday.

Due to the intense smoke and the rapid spread of the blaze, police closed parts of Route 6 and Route 1 for several hours, causing severe traffic disruptions on several highways in the area.

בשל שריפה: כביש 6 נחסם לשני הכיוונים באזור בן שמן, כביש 1 נסגר לכיוון מזרח; מטוסי כיבוי הוזנקו | כל הפרטים >>> https://t.co/rTZH5fsrkj @hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/0F3OvtA3B2

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 4, 2026

Police said Route 6, Israel’s main north-south highway, was blocked in both directions around the Daniel Interchange, with cars being diverted to Route 444. Route 1, the main highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, was also shut, with police sending cars to Route 443.

Fourteen firefighting squads from the Fire and Rescue Service were deployed to area, with the fire service saying Tuesday afternoon that they were working to control the fire, using four aircraft and several fire engines.

The fire service urged the public to stay away from the Ben Shemen forest and to avoid highways in the area until the blaze is under control and the smoke subsides.

שרפת ענק בכביש 6 | כ-21 צוותי כיבוי קרקעיים ו-4 מטוסים פועלים בשעה זו באזור מחלף בן שמן – והצליחו לבלום את השרפה. הכבישים עדיין חסומים, הציבור מתבקש להימנע מהגעה לאזור לחלוטין. צילום: דוברות כב"ה pic.twitter.com/cZpGu5I0iQ

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 4, 2026

By late afternoon, officials said the fire was under control and the roads had reopened.

The blaze came amid a heatwave in Israel, with the center of the country experiencing temperatures above 34ºC (93ºF) and other parts of Israel reaching temperatures above 37ºC (99ºF).

The weather is expected to cool slightly by Wednesday, though hot summer temperatures will likely continue late into September, when wildfire risks are at their highest.