At least four people were killed and several others injured when gunmen opened fire at a popular outdoor market in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, police said.
Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images
In a statement, Israeli police said at around 9.30 p.m. local time they received a report of a shooting at the Sarona Market, a collection of restaurants and shops popular with young people. Shortly after, they received another report of a shooting nearby.
Baz Ratner / Reuters
Emergency officials told reporters at the scene that at least three people had died and six others had been injured. A Tel Aviv hospital later said a fourth person had been killed.
Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote on Twitter that at least two alleged terrorists had been captured.
Police also said that at least one of the gunmen had been injured.
Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images
Video shared online appeared to show one of the gunmen immobilized at the scene. A group of onlookers can be heard shouting at police to “put a bullet in the head” of the gunman, while the police tell the crowd to stand back.
Video coming from central Tel Aviv where gunmen opened fire on civilians near local market pic.twitter.com/s3mS4vE5ZP#Israel
Additional graphic video posted to Instagram showed what appeared to be a man wearing a security guard’s uniforms firing shots as a man in the distance collapses.
Baz Ratner / Reuters
Security footage also appeared to show people fleeing an outdoor restaurant as the shooting began.
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Ofir Gendelman, spokesperson to the Arab media for the Israeli prime minister, said the two alleged terrorists were a pair of Palestinian cousins from the Hebron area.
On Twitter, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyyeh wrote, “Glory to the attackers.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu was said to be holding a security meeting in the wake of the shooting.
Photos from the scene showed police cordoning off and searching outdoor tables at a Max Brenner restaurant, a popular international chain of cafes that serve chocolate dishes.
Jack Guez / AFP / Getty Images
The restaurant chain has previously been the subject of protests in Australia for its founder’s support of the Israeli army.
In video provided to BuzzFeed News from the advocacy group The Israel Project, witness Avraham Liber told reporters he and some friends had been at Max Brenner when the shooting happened.
The Israel Project
“I was sitting in the direction where I could see the shooter,” he said. “I saw him. It looked like he was sitting in a chair at the cafe and he got up, he had a rifle in his hand, and he was just shooting point blank at people sitting down.”
An unidentified barman told Israel’s Channel 2 Newsthat people wan into the kitchen of Max Brenner to seek safety.
Channel 2 / Via reshet.tv
“I ran away too,” he said. “Then I came back to the restaurant to see if anyone was there. I saw people were injured on the floor. I helped one of the people.”
On Twitter, police said the shooting was over and under investigation.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told reporters his city had endured an awful night of indiscriminate violence. “We will continue to live in this city of Tel Aviv. We will continue to build, create, and enjoy the city,” he said. “Terror will not defeat us.”
Baz Ratner / Reuters
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates
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