Two dead, three seriously hurt among 10 casualties in Tel Aviv shooting

Shooter remains at large amid massive police manhunt; semiautomatic rifle fire used in attack on pub on Dizengoff Street

By Judah Ari Gross, TOI

Two people are dead and three are in serious condition in a shooting attack in Tel Aviv just before 3 p.m. Friday.

Witnesses said some 10 shots were fired in the attack, apparently in semiautomatic bursts from a Kalashnikov rifle.

The shots were fired inside a bar at Dizengoff 122, near the city’s well-known Dizengoff Center Mall. The area is crowded on Friday afternoons.

A total of 10 casualties are reported.

At least eight casualties were evacuated to nearby hospitals, including Sourasky Medical Center Ichilov in Tel Aviv, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan and Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

Initial reports said the shooter may have been caught, but authorities said the shooter remains at large. A massive police manhunt remains underway for the attacker, with roads around the attack site closed by police.

Police could not confirm the shooting was a terror attack. Investigators have been dispatched to hospitals to interview victims in an attempt to determine if criminal motives may be behind the attack.

According to Army Radio, the Shin Bet said it did not have any warning of an impending attack.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai called on residents “to be alert,” saying “this looks like nationalist [terror], but it still isn’t clear” what the motive was.