Israel Police confirmed on Wednesday night that four people were killed in a traffic accident in the country's south, and two more were taken to hospital for treatment.
The Israel Police received a report at around 11:00 p.m. about a car accident between two private vehicles on Highway 90 north of Hatzeva.
Highway 90 connects Israel's south with the Dead Sea and is a common route for many vacationing in the country.
The four passengers were pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene, with the two others evacuated for medical treatment to the Soroka Medical Center, both in moderate condition, according to medical officials.
Initial reports say that a 35-year-old man was killed in the first car, and a 45-year-old man and two girls, aged 14 and 13, were killed in the second car. A 40-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were evacuated to the hospital.
Police from Dimona, including traffic accident examiners, were called to the scene and began investigating the circumstances of the accident.
Fatal traffic accidents up 22%
This accident comes less than a week after three Israelis were killed in a car accident in the Sinai, Egypt.
Two of the family's children survived and were transported to Israel and put in the care of their extended family.
"A severe disaster, there are no words," MK Ahmad Tibi told Israeli media after the accident.
Highway 90 has been a hotspot for fatal traffic accidents, with several similarly fatal accidents occurring in the past several years.
Traffic accidents have killed 218 Israelis since the start of 2024; according to N12, this was a 22% increase compared to the same period last year and was the highest of the last decade.