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Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir involved in car accident

Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was said to be slightly hurt in the accident, after leaving the scene of a stabbing attack in Ramle.
2 min read
Israeli police cordon off the site of a car accident, where Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was reportedly hurt after his car was involved in an accident, in Ramla south of Tel Aviv, on April 26, 2024. [Getty]

Israel's hardline national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was involved in a car accident and taken to hospital on Friday, police said, adding that they were investigating the circumstances.

Video aired on Israeli media showed the car Ben-Gvir was travelling in had flipped over.

Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai told reporters two other people were injured in the incident.

"Minister Ben-Gvir feels good, is conscious, and will continue to receive medical treatment at Assaf HaRofeh Hospital," his office said. 

Ben-Gvir was leaving the scene in the city of Ramle near Tel Aviv where police said a suspected stabbing attack had occurred shortly before.

Central district police chief Avi Biton said a 21-year-old man who was reportedly mentally unstable had stabbed a 19-year-old woman.

He said the suspect had been attempting to flee the scene when a civilian shot and "neutralised" him, without explaining further.

The attacker has not been identified; however, a body bag containing what was presented as the attacker's body was seen and a large number of police officers, according to AFP.

Israel's ambulance service said the woman was conscious but in serious condition and was taken to hospital for treatment. 

Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed area along the border, killing an Israeli civilian, the group and Israel’s military said.

Hezbollah said that its fighters ambushed the convoy shortly before midnight Thursday, destroying two vehicles. The Israeli military said the ambush wounded an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work, and that he later died of his wounds.

Low-intensity fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has repeatedly threatened to boil over as Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah members in recent months.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border.

On the Israeli side, the cross-border fighting has killed 10 civilians and 12 soldiers, while in Lebanon, more than 350 people have been killed, including 50 civilians and 271 Hezbollah members.

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