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2 killed, 8 wounded in Tel Aviv shooting, police seek gunman

A gunman opened fire in a busy area of Israel on Thursday night, killing at least two people in what police believe may be the latest in a series of terror attacks.

The shooting broke out in a downtown Tel Aviv neighborhood filled with bars and restaurants, sending panicked people running for their lives and sparking a massive armed manhunt by security forces.

Local TV footage showed security forces searching neighborhoods, with police aiming their guns on a high-rise building.

Israeli security forces search for assailants near the scene of a shooting attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP
An Israeli security guard patrols around the scene of the shooting near a bar in Tel Aviv. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
A man carries a child out of the shooting scene while Israeli security forces clear off a restaurant in central Tel Aviv. EPA/ABIR SULTAN
Authorities are currently investigating the possible motives behind the shooting at Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Israel. REUTERS/Moti Milrod
A forensics expert reviews an area full of shattered glass after a shooting in Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 7, 2022. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

The shootings were reported at “several scenes” on what is the start of the weekend in Israel, according to the Magen David Adom emergency medical services.

At least one of the scenes was Dizengoff Street, where an Arab citizen of Israel killed two people in a shooting in January 2016, the Associated Press reported.

Police said they were seeking one gunman, who fired about 10 shots, news agency Haaretz said.

A Tel Aviv police spokesman told reporters that the shooter opened fire into a crowded bar around 9 p.m. local time and is likely still in the vicinity.

A medical worker treats a wounded victim at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 7, 2022. AFP via Getty Images

“As of right now, there are indications pointing to this being a terrorist attack, but I have to be very delicate about this, and say that we are also checking other leads,” police Commander Amichai Eshel said.

Residents were told to stay indoors and keep away from windows during the ongoing manhunt, according to news site Haaretz. The shooter was described as carrying a handgun, wearing black clothing and a backpack.

A man injured in the attack described the harrowing scene at Tzina Bar when the shooting broke out outside, shattering the window of the night spot.

Medical workers bring one injured victim into Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel. GIDEON MARKOWICZ/AFP via Getty Images

 “Suddenly everyone started to run, and I felt that I was hit in my back,” the man said. “I didn’t know what was going on, I simply ran and then saw a lot of blood.”

Another witness described running from a bar called Ilka to a side street to seek safety.

“I raised my head and saw someone standing in front of me, charging a gun. I immediately ran away and heard five shots. I didn’t look back, and he didn’t say anything.”

At least two people were fatally wounded in the shooting. AFP via Getty Images

Tom Nides, the US ambassador to Israel tweeted Thursday he was “horrified to see another cowardly attack on innocent civilians.”

“Praying for peace, and sending condolences to the victims and their families,” Nides said. “This has to stop!”

Four of the people wounded in the shooting are in critical condition, the report said. The two dead were reportedly men estimated to be in their 30s.

Security forces take aim at possible suspects during the shooting. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

The ensuing manhunt includes at least 1,000 cops as well as Israeli Defense Forces, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Hamas issued a statement praising the attack, but did not claim credit for it. A spokesman for the group called it a “heroic attack” that “struck the Zionist security system and proved our people’s ability to hurt the occupation.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also issued a statement, calling it “a clear message to the occupation that it must stop its incursions to al-Aqsa Mosque,” according to the Post.

Plainclothes security forces patrol around the scene of the shooting in Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Israel. AFP via Getty Images

The mosque in east Jerusalem has been a focal point of the ongoing conflict because it is the third holiest site for Muslims, but is on a hilltop that is the most sacred in the Jewish religion.

Israel had recently announced it would allow women, children and men over 40 from the occupied West bank to pray at the mosque for the first weekly prayers of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month which began last week.

Tensions have been soaring in Israel over ongoing violence launched by shooters operating independently but who may have been inspired or linked to terrorist organizations.

A woman reacts at the scene of the fatal shooting. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

The shooting comes after several terror attacks by Palestinian attackers left 11 people dead ahead of the start of Ramadan last week.

On March 22, four people were killed in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in Beersheba. In a second attack on March 27, two gunmen fatally shot two cops in Hadera.

Two days later, a gunman randomly killed five people and was killed by cops after opening fire on the streets of Bnei Brak, a Tel Aviv suburb.