Four women were killed Sunday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 77 near the Hamovil interchange in the Lower Galilee, bringing the number of people killed on Israel’s roads since midnight to eight.
Magen David Adom said it received the report at 3:11 p.m. The crash involved a minibus, a truck, a jeep and three private vehicles, one of which was completely crushed.
Three women killed in northern Israel crash; seven dead on roads since midnight
Paramedics pronounced dead three women, ages 26, 55 and about 50, after firefighters extricated them from one of the vehicles.
Seven other people were taken to hospitals, including a woman about 39 in serious condition and another woman about 39 in moderate condition. Both were evacuated by helicopter. Five others, some of them from the minibus, were lightly hurt and taken to Rambam Hospital in Haifa and the Italian Hospital in Nazareth.
Heavy traffic was reported on Highway 77 after the crash.
“This was a very difficult crash scene,” senior MDA paramedic Yossi Halabi said. “A truck hit several private vehicles and a minibus. In one of the vehicles, we extricated four trapped women.”
Fire and Rescue commander Moshiko Turgeman said crews found a private vehicle crushed under a heavy truck and used hydraulic tools in a complex rescue operation.
The crash came after four other fatal crashes overnight and earlier Sunday. Two East Jerusalem residents were killed in a two-car crash in Rishon Lezion. Hours later, a man about 50 was killed in a crash involving two cars on Highway 90. In the West Bank, IDF soldier Netanel Ayala, 20, of Ofra, was killed when his motorcycle collided with a car on Highway 60. The driver fled on foot and has not been caught.
At least 140 people have been killed in road crashes since the start of 2026, a 15% decrease from the same period last year. Last week, the National Road Safety Authority approved a 350 million shekel budget for infrastructure, enforcement, education and research, with a focus on single-lane roads, urban and intercity danger spots and increased enforcement.
First published: 17:08, 05.03.26