At least 2 dead in Tel Aviv shooting attack – hospital official

At least two people have died and four were seriously wounded in a shooting in Tel Aviv’s city center on Thursday, the latest of several attacks in which 13 people have been killed over the past month, the sharpest spike in Israel for years.

An Israeli hospital official said two people were killed. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it had transported six people with serious injuries to hospital.

Large numbers of emergency responders arrived on the scene and police, searching for the shooter, told residents to stay indoors.

“A terrorist opened fire at short range and then fled on foot. Several people are wounded,” police spokesman Eli Levy said on Channel 13 television.

“Don’t leave your homes. Don’t stick your heads out of the window. Stay off your balconies,” he said.

Television footage showed armed officers running down Dizengoff Street, a major commercial street, and smaller side streets trying to track down the attacker. A police helicopter shined a spotlight on the streets from above.