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Israel: Two killed, several wounded in Tel Aviv shooting Israel: Palestinian gunman killed after deadly attack at Tel Aviv bar
(about 7 hours later)
Dizengoff Street, where the attack happened, is a place bustling with bars and restaurantsDizengoff Street, where the attack happened, is a place bustling with bars and restaurants
Two people have been killed by at least one gunman in the centre of Tel Aviv, Israel, in the fourth attack of its kind in just over two weeks. Israeli security forces have killed a Palestinian who opened fire at a bar in Tel Aviv, killing two people and wounding 12 others, police say.
The shootings happened on Dizengoff Street, one of the busiest streets, known for its bars and restaurants. The man, from Jenin in the occupied West Bank, was tracked down to nearby Jaffa and died in a shootout.
Security forces are hunting for at least one gunman and police have told people to stay indoors. Hours earlier he had attacked people at the bar on Dizengoff Street, one of the busiest streets in Tel Aviv, sparking a night-long manhunt.
It follows a spree of attacks by Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian which left 11 people dead. It was the latest in a spate of attacks in Israel which have killed 13 people.
A spokesperson for Israel's emergency services said nine people were brought to hospital after the attack and doctors at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital said medical teams are "fighting for the lives" of four victims. The gunman, identified as Raad Hazem, 29, was later found hiding near a mosque about four miles (6km) away. He was killed after a brief gun battle with counter-terrorism and security agents.
In a statement issued on Thursday night, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered his condolences to the families of those killed and said that Israeli security services "are in pursuit of the terrorist who carried out the murderous rampage tonight in Tel Aviv". Officials said over 1,000 members of the Israeli police, army special forces and the Shin Bet intelligence service were involved in the search.
"Wherever the terrorist is - we will get to him. And everyone who helped him indirectly or directly - will pay a price," Mr Bennett said. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who was at defence headquarters in Tel Aviv close to the scene of the shooting when it unfolded, is meeting security chiefs on Friday morning.
Over 1,000 members of the Israeli police, army special forces and the Shin Bet intelligence service are involved in the search, police officials have said. Around 1,000 security personnel were involved in the hunt for the gunman
Israeli army special forces at the scene The attack happened around 21:30 (18:30 GMT) on Thursday evening at Ilka bar.
According to the Times of Israel, the attack began when at least one gunman opened fire at Ilka bar on Dizengoff. "I was heading north and as we were passing by a bar shots started outside the bar," Mark Malfiev, one of those injured in the shooting, told the BBC.
"I was heading north and as we were passing by a bar shots started outside the bar," Mark Malfiev, one of those injured in the attack, told the BBC.
"I saw the window shattering, suddenly people started running and I felt a back pain," he said. "I did not know there was an injury. I was just walking and then I felt a lot of blood, I saw blood. Then I turned right after a run and a friend looked and saw there was a lot of blood.""I saw the window shattering, suddenly people started running and I felt a back pain," he said. "I did not know there was an injury. I was just walking and then I felt a lot of blood, I saw blood. Then I turned right after a run and a friend looked and saw there was a lot of blood."
Video from Dizengoff Street shows people running away as emergency vehicles pour into the area, sirens wailing. CCTV footage from an outside bar shows people drinking then suddenly dashing away at the moment of the attack, overturning chairs in the scramble to escape. Video from Dizengoff Street showed people running away as emergency vehicles poured into the area, sirens wailing. CCTV footage showed people drinking then suddenly dashing away at the moment of the attack, overturning chairs in the scramble to escape.
As security forces scoured the area, police appealed to people not to venture out. Israel's allies were quick to condemn the attack. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss tweeted that she was "appalled" by the violence, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration stands with Israel "resolutely in the face of senseless terrorism and violence".
"Don't leave your homes. Don't stick your heads out of the window. Stay off your balconies," police spokesman Eli Levy said on Channel 13 television. Israel's security forces were already on a high state of alert after a spate of deadly attacks in recent days.
Israel's security forces were already on a high state of alert after a deadly spate of attacks in recent days.
At the end of last month, five people were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish suburb of Tel Aviv. Days earlier, six people were killed in two attacks by three Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Hadera and the southern city of Beersheba. All the perpetrators were shot dead.At the end of last month, five people were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish suburb of Tel Aviv. Days earlier, six people were killed in two attacks by three Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Hadera and the southern city of Beersheba. All the perpetrators were shot dead.
It marks the deadliest period of attacks in Israel since 2006, with fears of further incidents in the lead-up to the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian festival of Easter which coincide in a rare convergence next week.It marks the deadliest period of attacks in Israel since 2006, with fears of further incidents in the lead-up to the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian festival of Easter which coincide in a rare convergence next week.