Terror Attack On Busy Tel Aviv Bar District Leaves 2 Dead, 8 Wounded – Large Manhunt Underway

A mass shooting in Tel Aviv Thursday evening left at least two dead and at least eight more wounded, sending a central district into chaos as police hunted for possibly multiple attackers who fled. 

What’s being widely reported as a terrorist attack targeted a bar on Dizengoff Street, which is typically on the weekends a crowded nightlife area. “As the street filled with ambulances and rescuers, police carried out searches for a gunman thought to have escaped, going door to door and telling people to stay inside and lock their doors,” The Times of Israel reports.

The gunman or gunmen walked up to the popular bar called Ilka – where a lot of people were seated in a large outdoor section – and opened fire, according to eyewitnesses. People dove under tables as well as scattered as the shots range out.

“Ten people were rushed to the nearby Ichilov Hospital with gunshot wounds, two of whom were later declared dead, the hospital said. Four others were listed as critical and were undergoing surgery, according to the hospital,” The Times of Israel continues.

Some initial reports said that in the hour following the attack that one or more attackers may still been at large, with conflicting reports, with police describing “a nationalistically motivated terror attack, though the identity of the attacker or attackers was not immediately known.”

This is what is happening on the streets of Tel Aviv right now. Insane. pic.twitter.com/r2wXJb4ixU

— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) April 7, 2022

A huge police presence has descended on the area, with security forces in SWAT gear combing the streets and reportedly going to door-to-door looking for a suspect: 

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 arrived at the scene of the attack and asked people to remain alert and report any suspicious individuals.

IDF troops and border police forces are also said to be responding as a search for a gunman or gunmen continues.

הדי ירי נשמעו צפונית לזירת הפיגוע, כוחות הביטחון מכתרים בניין בנשקים שלופים לעבר הגג@almog_tamar https://t.co/93ANGQ12k5 pic.twitter.com/73wpgX8PeV

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 7, 2022

Israeli correspondents later confirmed the deaths of at least two victims.

Update from @Mdais: 2 men in their 30s killed, 38yr old man, 28 yr old woman &20yr old man seriously injured, 4 slightly injured

— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) April 7, 2022

developing…