At least two people died and several more were injured this Thursday night during a shooting in a busy entertainment area where there are bars and restaurants in Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel.
Although the motive for the attack is still unknown, local authorities said there were "indications" that it was a terrorist act.
In recent days a series of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians have heightened tensions between Israel's Jewish and Arab communities.
Hamas, the militant political organization that rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack
but did not claim responsibility.
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Israeli Kan television showed live footage of police entering the area, pointing their guns at one of the upper floors of a building.
And it registered a kind of explosion.
Police have asked the public to avoid the area
.
The scene of a shooting in a busy entertainment area in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 7, 2022. Ariel Schalit / AP
Amichai Eshel, the commander of the Tel Aviv police, said the attacker opened fire in a crowded bar around 9:00 pm
and fled the scene immediately afterwards.
"Our guess is that [the attacker] is still in the immediate vicinity," Eshel said.
"Right now, there are indications that this is a terrorist attack, but I have to be very sensitive about that and say we're looking at other leads as well."
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Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service received reports of a shooting at "several locations" in central Tel Aviv.
He reported that two men in their 30s were killed
.
Seven other people were injured, three of them seriously, he added.
At least one of the shootings occurred on Dizengoff Street, one of the city's main thoroughfares.
Over the years there have been several deadly attacks on this street.
In January 2016, an Arab Israeli killed two Jewish Israelis and injured several others on the same street.
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The popular area of bars, clubs and restaurants was packed on Thursday night, when the working weekend begins in Israel.
Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett reported that he was monitoring the situation from a military headquarters
in central Tel Aviv.
Ethnic-religious tensions have risen in Israel after Palestinians killed 11 people just before the start of Islam's holy month of Ramadan a week ago.
Last year, protests and clashes in Jerusalem during Ramadan triggered an 11-day Israeli military intervention in Gaza, resulting in 260 deaths.
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Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have held a series of meetings in recent weeks to try to calm things down.
Israel has also taken several measures to de-escalate tensions, such as granting extra work permits to Palestinians living in Gaza.
The recent attacks appear to have been carried out by individuals who do not belong to any political or religious organization, none of which have claimed responsibility for the attacks.
With information from The Associated Press.
