Khalil Abu‑Alba was a 35‑year‑old bus driver originally from the Gaza Strip at the time of the Azor attack in February 2001. He worked as a professional driver for the Egged bus company for about five years before the incident and was regularly employed to transport Arab workers in the early morning from Gaza toward Tel Aviv. Little public information is available regarding his family background, education, personal life, or activities prior to the attack beyond his employment history.

On 14 February 2001, during the period of the Second Intifada, Khalil Abu‑Alba carried out a deliberate vehicle‑ramming attack near Azor junction in southern Israel. Earlier that morning, after completing his usual drive of Arab laborers to Lod and Ramle, he continued toward Holon. Upon arriving at Azor junction, he saw a group of Israeli soldiers waiting at a bus stop.

Abu‑Alba accelerated the bus and sharply steered it toward the group, striking dozens of people. The impact killed eight individuals  seven Israeli soldiers and one civilian and wounded 26 others. Following the attack, he continued driving the bus southwards toward Gaza at high speed. The bus was ultimately halted only after it collided with a truck roughly 30 kilometres away; police had shot at the vehicle’s wheels in an effort to stop it.

The militant Islamist organization Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, framing it within the broader context of conflict and militancy of that period.

Abu‑Alba was apprehended by Israeli authorities immediately after the crash and subsequently stood trial in Israel. He was convicted on murder and related charges for the deaths of the eight victims. After spending over a decade in custody, he was released on 18 October 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Palestinian groups.