A new terrorist attack terrified Israel on Thursday evening. At least two people were killed in a random gun attack in central Tel Aviv and at least eight others were injured, some seriously. It was the fourth attack in Israel in two weeks, with 13 innocent victims so far. This is the bloodiest series in such a short space of time since the days of the Second Intifada, which ended in 2005.
The scene of the most recent bloody crime was the extremely busy Dizengoff Street, where all the bars and restaurants are full, especially on Thursday and Friday nights. Eyewitnesses reported shots fired in several places. Guests in the bars would have holed themselves up behind tables or brought themselves to safety in private apartments. Because it was initially unclear about the fate of the assassin or perpetrators, the police initially asked all residents of the city to stay in their houses and lock the doors. Police and ambulance sirens could be heard across the city, and helicopters circled in the evening sky. Dizengoff Street was last the site of a similar attack in 2016, killing two and injuring a few.
At least 15 attacks are said to have been prevented
Last week, after the first three attacks, the government announced the highest level of security for the police and army. Two of these attacks – in Beer Sheva and in Hadera – were carried out by supporters of the so-called Islamic State. In the third incident in Hadera, a West Bank Palestinian was identified as the perpetrator. All of the attackers were killed at the scene.
Prime Minister Bennett, who is in the middle of a serious government crisis, immediately rushed to the army headquarters in Tel Aviv for a briefing. Only the day before yesterday he had announced that at least 15 planned terrorist attacks had been prevented in the past two weeks. In order to break the feared wave, the police forces had been strengthened in all Israeli cities. 1,000 soldiers have also been assigned to counter terrorism within Israel. Additional army battalions were deployed to the West Bank. There is great fear that a series of subsequent attacks will unfold during the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which has just begun.