A man was killed in a car explosion near Or Akiva on Tuesday in central Israel, in the second apparent car bombing to occur within a day.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said it received a report at 8:04 p.m. about a vehicle that had exploded on Route 2 near the Or Akiva interchange and dispatched medics to the scene.
Teams arrived and located a man with no signs of life who suffered multi-system injuries, pronouncing him dead at the scene.
Fire and Rescue Services said that rescue teams worked to extinguish the blaze in the car and a small brush fire that developed as a result of the explosion. They added that a special investigator from the fire department arrived to examine the scene.
The Israel Police was investigating the likelihood that the explosion was an assassination amid gang wars.
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The identity of the victim was not immediately clear.
A similar explosion rocked the northern city of Afula this morning, killing a man in his 30s. Police suspect the motive behind the blast was also criminal.
Fire pours out of a car that exploded, killing one, in Afula, northern Israel, on May 26, 2026. (Magen David Adom)
The two incidents were the latest in a deadly wave of crime that has predominantly impacted Israel’s Arab community, but which has claimed Jewish lives as well.
Government critics have blamed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Police for failing to tackle the out-of-control violence.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin has also been criticized for refusing to fill dozens of empty judicial posts, hampering enforcement efforts.
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