Three people have been wounded after a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a crowded street in Tel Aviv before being shot and killed, Israeli officials said.
One of the wounded was in critical condition following Thursday night’s shooting on Dizengoff Street, a popular thoroughfare filled with shops and restaurants.
There were no immediate details about the circumstances of the shooting, though Israeli police said initial signs were that it was a terrorist attack.
In one amateur from Tel Aviv, repeated gunfire could be heard, apparently as the attacker was being stopped.
Dozens of police were seen rushing to the area.
The MADA rescue service said one of the wounded was in critical condition, while Zaka, another medical service, said the shooter was killed.
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An Israeli policeman secures a street corner. Pic: AP
Shooting came hours after latest Israeli raid
Earlier on Thursday in the northern West Bank, Israeli security forces said they raided the village of Jaba to arrest suspects wanted for attacks on Israeli soldiers in the area.
The suspects opened fire on Israeli troops, who shot back and killed three people, all affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, police said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the men as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Nayef Malaisha, 25 and Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and said they were hit by Israeli fire during the military operation.
A fourth man was taken to hospital with a bullet wound to the head, authorities added.
Israeli police also shared a photo of assault rifles, pistols, ammunition and explosive devices they said troops confiscated in Jaba, just south of the flashpoint city of Jenin.
For the past few months, Jaba has been home to a fledgling militant group of disillusioned young Palestinians who have taken up arms against Israel’s open-ended occupation, now in its 56th year.
The group is part of a larger trend of emerging armed groups across the West Bank which have defied the increasingly unpopular Palestinian Authority and claim no ties to any specific political party.
Violence has been escalating in the West Bank, particularly in the last two months.
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Israeli forces raided a refugee camp on 7 March
Israeli police also released footage of a raid on Tuesday, which Palestinian authorities said left multiple Palestinians dead and wounded dozens.
