Two killed as terrorist opens fire on Tel Aviv bar; gunman feared still on loose
Two people were killed and several others wounded as a gunman opened fire on a bar in central Tel Aviv Thursday evening in an apparent terror attack, the latest eruption of violence to strike Israel in recent weeks.
Rescuers at the scene said ten people were rushed to the nearby Ichilov Hospital with gunshot wounds, two of whom were later declared dead. Four were listed as critical and were undergoing surgery, according to the hospital. Two were seriously injured, and two were mildly hurt.
The shooting took place on Dizengoff Street, in an area normally crowded with people out for Thursday night at bars, restaurants and cafes lining the popular thoroughfare, police said.
According to an initial report, the attack began when a gunman walked up to Ilka, a popular bar with a large outside seating section, and opened fire.
“We dove under the tables and people started crying, it was horrible,” said Evelyn Gertz, 34, who was having dinner next door.
A worker at the bar told Channel 12 news that he saw at least two attackers, at least one of whom opened fire from a pistol.
Initial reports indicated at least one shooter had been “neutralized,” but police told residents in the area to remain inside out of fear that gunmen could still be on the loose. Police chief Yaakov Shabtai asked people to remain alert and report any suspicious individuals.
Medical vehicles are seen on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street following a reported shooting, April 7, 2022 (United Hatzalah)
“Large numbers of forces are carrying out broad searches,” Police commander Rami Ben David told the media. He said people still out on the streets should return home.
A short time later, police gathered outside an alley down the street where a suspect was reportedly holed up.
The attack was the latest to rock Israel after a string of shootings and stabbings in late March left 11 people dead in a single week, the deadliest outbreak of terrorist violence since 2006.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz were at army headquarters several kilometers from the scene, receiving updates from defense officials.
Witnesses described chaos at the scene as the gunman fired at diners, with people out for a Thursday night sprinting for cover amid panic.
יום חמישי לב תל אביב אזרחים נמלטים מהירי pic.twitter.com/5Ty7us2hsH
— חיים גולדברג (@haim_goldberg) April 7, 2022
“People just took off running,” said Daniel Rubenstein, 38.
The tour guide, hiding for shelter with others in the stairwell of a nearby apartment building, said he heard shots “ten meters behind me” and ran.
Security camera footage from the scene showed people knocking over chairs and tables in a rush to get away.
Israeli leaders have raised fears of a fresh outbreak of Palestinian terror in recent weeks, and vowed to crack down while also attempting to avoid heightening Palestinian anger during the holy month of Ramadan. The shooting broke a tense calm that had set in since March 28, when a Palestinian man opened fire in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, killing five people.