Tel Aviv gunman kills two, wounds others

Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says five people were wounded in the shooting Friday afternoon.

Although police were cautious to characterize the New Year’s Day attack, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said at a press conference the attack was clearly a terrorist attack, continuing a string of violence across Israel in recent months, including several stabbing attacks.

Undercover units and counter-terrorism units were working in different areas of Tel Aviv, Mr Rosenfeld said, adding that no specific warning of an attack had been received.

One of the fatalities of Friday’s shooting attack in central Tel Aviv was identified as Alon Bakal, 26, a shift manager at the “HaSimta” pub which took the brunt of the gunfire on Dizengoff Street.

Israeli media reported a copy of the Quran was found in a backpack left at the scene.

Surveillance video picked up from right before the shooting shows the gunman in a nearby store getting some vegetables. She said a massive manhunt was underway for the shooter.

Police said the attack took place at 130 Dizenghof Street. “Large-scale police forces are conducting searches for him”. “Even though we do not have all the details, we must condemn every attack on innocent civilians in the clearest and most unequivocal manner”, he said in a statement. “People who had guns in the area refused to shoot him”.

Palestinians have killed 19 Israelis and an American since the start of October, mostly in spontaneous stabbings or car-ramming attacks.

The gunman can be seen coming into shot, as he sprays the street with his automatic weapon. “I saw people running in the street and wounded sprawled on the street”.

Palestinian officials, meanwhile, have claimed Israeli authorities have repeatedly gone too far, saying that Israeli forces killed more than 80 Palestinians in the same period, a figure that includes protesters who died in clashes, as well as alleged attacks.

Speaking to Channel 2, Melhem said he had previously represented the suspect in a case where he was jailed for assaulting an Israeli soldier.