Police suspect bus explosions in Israel are a terror attack

On Thursday night, three buses exploded in Tel Aviv parking lots, sparking suspicions of an attempted, coordinated terrorist assault and leading Israeli authorities to suspend all buses and trains across the country. No injuries were recorded.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the military to execute a "intense operation" against "terror hubs" in the West Bank following a series of explosions on three parked buses, which officials say were part of a terrorist assault. There were no injuries recorded.

According to Tzvika Brot, the mayor of Bat Yam, the three buses were parked at various depots in the city south of Tel Aviv. The mayor reportedly reported finding unexploded bombs in parking areas in the adjacent city of Holon.

“Several suspicious objects were also examined, though police bomb disposal units later determined they were not a threat,” the police said in a statement.

“Police forces and rapid response teams are deployed across Bat Yam and Holon, with bomb disposal experts working to neutralize the explosive devices found. Other buses in the area are currently being searched to rule out any additional threats,” the police added.

“All buses, heavy rail trains, and light rail trains must be stopped and inspected, and actions should be taken according to the guidelines of the Shin Bet (security service) and the police,” Minister of Transport and Road Safety Miri Regev said in a statement Thursday.

The blasts occurred on a day when Israel was in mourning after Hamas returned the remains of four captives from Gaza as part of a truce agreement.

On Thursday, four coffins containing the corpses of captives, including two children, were released and repatriated for burial after being abducted from a village near the Gaza border in a Hamas-led operation on October 7, 2023. However, the Israeli military announced in a statement early Friday that only three of the remains corresponded to the captives who were to be turned back.

One of the bodies it received could not be recognized, it stated, and it did not belong to Shiri Bibas, the mother of the two children turned up, nor did it match the identify of any other captive. The military called the issue a “violation of utmost severity” of the cease-fire terms.

In reaction to Thursday's attempted strikes, Defense Minister Israel Katz authorized the military to boost operations in West Bank refugee camps.

“We will chase after the terrorists and destroy the terror infrastructure — whoever provides cover for terror will pay a heavy price,” he said in a statement.

Bus and train services were suspended across the country following reports of explosions.

Bus and train service in Israel will remain paused until the police and intelligence authorities give directives that it can resume, according to a statement from the transportation ministry.