At least nine individuals were injured in what police suspect was a ramming attack on Thursday. Among the injured is a 17-year-old girl in critical condition.

The incident occurred at a bus station at Karkur Junction on Route 65 in northern Israel. The driver was also injured and subsequently “neutralized” at the scene, according to police, though further details were not provided.

All those injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Of the nine victims, two are reported to be “severely wounded,” and six sustained “light” injuries.

According to a statement from an Israeli police spokesperson, the driver was identified as a 53-year-old Palestinian from the Jenin area who was “in Israel unlawfully and married to an Israeli citizen.”

“Preliminary findings indicate that he deliberately targeted civilians waiting at a bus stop,” the statement read. “The terrorist has been neutralized. This remains an active investigation.”

The police commissioner is currently conducting “an on-site situational assessment” following the incident, the statement added.

Graphic images depict a man’s body in the street near the vehicle involved, with Israeli security forces present in a cordoned-off area.

A significant police presence is in the area, and a search is underway.

Tensions in the West Bank have been escalating recently. On Sunday, Reuters reported that Israel deployed tanks to Jenin in the northern West Bank for the first time in two decades.

This incident in Israel coincides with House Republicans introducing a new bill to address the increasing threat of vehicular terrorism. House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, introduced the bill following the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which resulted in 14 fatalities.

The proposed bill would mandate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to produce an annual report on emerging threats and countermeasures related to vehicular terrorism. The legislation highlights the increasing radicalization of individuals within the U.S. towards violence against Americans, often through ISIS publications and propaganda, with vehicular-ramming attacks becoming a prominent and growing method.

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates. ‘ Yael Kuriel and Thomas Ferraro contributed to this report.

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