At least two dead and eight injured in Tel Aviv tourist hotspot shooting

From the Telegraph and The Times of Israel

At least two people were killed on Thursday night after a gunman opened fire in a tourist hotspot in central Tel Aviv, the latest in a series of terror attacks in Israel.

According to reports on Israeli media, the shootings occurred at three “scenes” at Dizengoff Street, which is packed with bars and restaurants.

Israeli media reports said that a gunman dressed in black had shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he fired at civilians.

Two young people were killed, officials say. They were reportedly in their 20s and shot at the Ilka bar on Dizengoff Street.  Medical teams are “fighting for the lives” of four other people. Two additional people have moderate to severe injuries and nine are lightly injured.

It was the fourth terror attack in Israel in the past two weeks,  during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and during a government crisis, following a similar attack in a suburb of Tel Aviv last week, which left five people dead.

The shooter is still at large. Large numbers of police and soldiers, including from elite IDF units, are scouring Tel Aviv, searching buildings, inside apartments, in alleyways and dumpsters. Authorities believe one gunman, believed to be a Palestinian from the West Bank, carried out the attack.

Celebrations are taking place in Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza. Islamic Jihad and Hamas have praised the attack, but have not claimed responsibility.