Two people were killed tonight and several others were injured when a gunman burst into a community center in the heart of Tel Aviv and opened fire with a machine gun.
The bodies of two casualties were found in the center by paramedics. The injured were rushed to the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv. Two victims are in critical condition, while three additional people are in moderate condition, Magen David Adom paramedics said. Several more were lightly wounded in the attack. The community center is run by to’eivah members of the community.
Police launched a massive manhunt for the perpetrator, who according to eye witnesses was dressed in black. Large numbers of emergency vehicles converged on the scene, and patrol cars could be seen scouring the area for the gunman. A police crime scene investigation unit entered the building and began gathering evidence.
Hundreds of local residents gathered around police lines, and tearful members of the local community wandered around the scene looking shocked.
Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovitch said police have stepped up security around other centers and potential targets.
“This is a most severe incident. The police are investing major resources and means to capture this murderer and his accomplices,” Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. David Cohen said, speaking from the murder scene.
Danny Zak, a to’eivah activist and journalist, said “A murder was waiting to happen,” Zak added. “The Shas party has the blood of two innocent kids on their hands,” he said. “Shas has blamed [toeivahs] for earthquakes and diseases. This is incitement, but no one is put on trial for it,” he said.
Shas released a statement following the shooting in which it called for the attacker “to be found and tried. Murder is of course against the Torah’s path and every attack is a contravention of the religion of Israel.”
Meretz MK Nitzan Horovitz, who is a toeivahnik, arrived at the scene of the shooting. “There has been non-stop incitement,” he told the Post. “I very much hope this is not the result of comments made by public figures and Knesset members. They need to understand that some people will take action,” Horovitz added.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Very sad.
I hope that some crazy with an anti-toeivah agenda was not behind this. Murder is murder.
Even though toeiva was central to this story, it would seem, calling someone a ‘toeivanik’ is unbecoming and inappropriate. We say ‘Yitamu chataim min ha’aretz” not “Yitamu chotim.”
They are Jews, regardless of their orientation. I hope and pray that they do teshuva, but I don’t hate them until they do.
And the teenagers were innocent teenagers.
Hashem will avenge their blood.