According to an Israeli hospital, two people were killed and eight injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv in Israel, Israeli newspapers report. A perpetrator must still be at large.
–
The condition of four of the eight wounded is described according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz as critical.
According to the newspaper, the shooting took place in Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Thursday night. Ambulance personnel on site are said to have observed several shooting scenes in the street. Police have asked people to stay away from the area.
Several media outlets first reported that there were several perpetrators, and that one of them had been shot. Haaretz now writes that the police suspect that the attack was carried out by a single perpetrator. Two hours after the first reports came, the perpetrator must still be at large.
The police state that the suspect must be dressed in black clothes, a blue sack and that he was carrying a handgun.
The Jerusalem Post writes that there are thousands of police officers and several soldiers participating in the search.
Dizengoff Street is referred to as one of Israel’s busiest streets, with its many bars and restaurants.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett followed the situation from the headquarters of the Israeli military, which is also located in the center of Tel Aviv, his office said.
Israel’s EU Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev writes on Twitter that he is deeply concerned about the messages:
In recent weeks, there have been several deadly attacks in Israeli cities, which several have referred to as terrorist attacks. Prior to Thursday’s incident, a total of eleven people have been killed in various attacks in Israel in the last three weeks. On March 29, five people were shot and killed when a perpetrator opened fire in Bnei Brak outside Tel Aviv.
The motive for the shooting on Thursday night is not yet known.
As a result of the previous episodes, Israel had put its security forces on high alert by, among other things, deploying soldiers to assist the police.
The previous shooting attack in Dizengoff gate was in 2016, when two people were killed and several others were injured in a bar in the area.
–
