Bus Driver Killed and Dozens Injured in Tractor-Bus Collision on Route 25

On the morning of October 30, 2026, a bus carrying a group of schoolgirls collided with a tractor on Route 25 near the Shibolim agricultural community, close to the entrance to the town of Shibolim in southern Israel. Emergency services were alerted at 8:02 a.m. by Magen David Adom (MDA). The driver, described as a man of about 50 years old, was extracted from the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene.

Times of Israel

MDA, United Hatzalah, and the Israel Fire and Rescue Service’s Southern District dispatched medics, paramedics, and firefighters to the site. Firefighters worked to free passengers trapped inside the bus, while police officers secured the area and began traffic rerouting. The agencies coordinated evacuation of the injured to nearby hospitals.

The Jerusalem Post

MDA reported that the crash left 24 people injured: a 61-year-old woman in serious condition with multisystem trauma, a 35-year-old woman with moderate limb injuries, and 22 others with minor injuries, including the tractor driver. Seventeen of the wounded were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, with two serious cases admitted to its trauma unit; the remaining patients were transported to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.

The Jerusalem Post

The Times of Israel described the incident as leaving “at least 20” passengers wounded, while a later Times of Israel article specified “over 20” injured. The Jerusalem Post provided the higher figure of 24 injured. No source gave a definitive final casualty count, and the exact number of lightly injured passengers remains unclear.

Times of Israel

Southern District police announced an investigation into the cause of the collision and are working to reroute traffic on Route 25 while the scene is examined. No further details about the tractor’s driver or the circumstances leading to the crash have been released.

Times of Israel