At least 12 injured in car explosion in Ramle, police suspect criminal motive, not terror

At least twelve people were injured in a car explosion in the central Israel city of Ramle a short while ago, sparking a fire that spread to two nearby stores.

According to Magen David Adom, the twelve were treated for their injuries at the scene of the explosion before being taken to Shamir Medical Center and Kaplan Medical Center for further treatment.

It says that four people — a two-month-old baby, a 5-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old girl — are in critical condition. One person is seriously injured and two others — a 52-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman — are moderately injured.

Another five people are being treated for minor wounds.

In a statement, the Israel Police says that Central District Police Commander Avi Bitton is at the scene of the blast, and bomb squads are examining the remains of the vehicle to ensure that it poses no further risk to the public.

At the same time, police forces are working to evacuate people trapped in two stores which caught on fire as a result of the blast.

Police say that they are treating the incident as “criminal,” indicating that they don’t suspect a terror motive.

פיצוץ רכב ברמלה: 5 עוברי אורח נפצעו, חנויות עולות באש
יממה לאחר ששני בני אדם נרצחו, רמלה שוב בוערת: פיצוץ עז אירע ליד השוק, 5 עוברי אורח נפגעו קל עד בינוני. הרקע ככל הנראה פלילי pic.twitter.com/wRURCm53yH

— יוני בן מנחם yoni ben menachem (@yonibmen) September 12, 2024