Suspected car thief, second driver killed in head-on crash

Suspect, reportedly from Gaza, drove against traffic to avoid police roadblock during chase near Tel Aviv

Illustrative photo of the aftermath of a car accident. (Edi Israel/Flash90)

A police chase in central Israel ended in tragedy as two people were killed in a head-on collision near Tel Aviv Tuesday morning, after one of the drivers reportedly stole a car.

The collision occurred on Highway 5 near the Glilot interchange as police were pursuing a man suspected of stealing a car from the nearby city of Herzliya.

The suspect — a 25-year-old resident of Gaza according to Israeli news site Ynet — was driving southbound on the Ayalon Highway, made an illegal U-turn onto Highway 5 and began driving against traffic to avoid a police roadblock, when he hit an oncoming vehicle.

The suspect and second driver were both killed in the crash.

Police have opened an investigation into the incident.

A series of car accidents across the country have killed four people since Sunday, including two children.

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