Aug. 19 (UPI) — At least one person is dead and another injured after a bomb exploded Sunday night in Tel Aviv, according to authorities who believe the blast might be terrorism.
Israel Police said in a statement that the “bombing incident” occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday on Lahi Street. Israel’s national emergency Magen David Adom said a truck had exploded and paramedics responded to a 50-year-old man found unconscious and suffering from “multi-system trauma.”
He was pronounced dead at the scene, it said.
The identity of the deceased victim was not yet known, but Superintendent Peretz Amar, the Tel Aviv district commander, said he was believed to have been carrying the explosive.
The man’s identity, he said, could help to shed light on the motive behind the attack.
“It could be terrorism or a criminal act,” he said.
The explosion comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
On Monday morning, the police commander of Tel Aviv’s Ayalon district, Haim Bobalil, told reporters that following an assessment of the attack, they believe it is terrorism related.
“It was a miracle that it did not explode in the nearest synagogue or in the shopping center,” Bobalil said. “It could have ended in dozens of deaths.
Israel Police said the other casualty in the blast was only “moderately injured.”