Six others were wounded after two Palestinians opened fire at the Sarona retail complex in an attack welcomed by Hamas

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Four people have been killed and six wounded in a shooting attack at a popular retail complex in central Tel Aviv near Israel’s defence ministry.

The shooting on Wednesday evening took place around the Sarona complex, an area with shops and restaurants close to the Israeli military’s main headquarters.

According to initial reports, two gunmen were involved, one firing inside the Sarona complex itself and the other in an adjacent street. Police later said the two gunmen were two Palestinians from the same family in the Hebron area of the occupied West Bank.

Officials said both gunmen were shot, apprehended and disarmed by security forces.

Security footage showed the pair, dressed in suit and tie and posing as customers at a restaurant, suddenly pull out automatic weapons and open fire, shooting one man point blank, as other diners fled.



Police said the assailants killed four people in the 9.30pm assault and that six were wounded, several of whom were described as being in a serious condition.



Although details were sparse it appears shots were initially fired at people walking in the street near a restaurant and then in an adjoining street.

Yechiel Miller, a volunteer medic with United Hatzalah, related from the scene of the attack: “When I arrived at the scene I saw a woman who was unconscious and not breathing and in critical condition. We began resuscitation efforts. We also treated numerous other individuals who suffered gunshot wounds and wounds from shrapnel.”



The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who has just returned from a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, went straight to the Kirya – the Israeli military’s headquarters close to the Sarona complex – to be briefed on the incident.

According to witnesses, the two gunmen, dressed smartly in dark suits and ties, arrived at the Max Brenner restaurant and ordered food before launching their attack.

Avraham Liber was sitting in Max Brenner when the attack started.

“Me and a couple of friends were sitting at the restaurant here just having some ice cream when we heard the shots. I was sitting in the direction so I could see the shooter. I saw him. It looked like he was sitting in a chair at the cafe and he had a rifle in his hand. He was just shooting point blank at people. He didn’t say anything.”

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Photographs released after the shootings showed one of the weapons used: what appeared to be a locally made “Carl Gustav” submachine gun, which has increasingly become a feature in Palestinian shooting attacks in recent months.

Video footage of the incident showed what appeared to be a policeman or security guard firing a pistol towards one of the suspected attackers.

One witness, Tomer, described a minute of panic and shooting to the Israeli website Ynet.

“We were sitting outside and a round of bullets [were fired]. Everyone started running. This is not like a normal terror attack. The shots were fired for at least a minute. There was a panic, and we were asked to go inside the building.”

Meital Sassi told Channel 10 TV she was out with her family celebrating her son’s birthday when she heard shots and “immediately understood it was a terror attack”.

“We ran like lightning with the baby and the stroller … I yelled at people who didn’t understand what was happening to run,” she said.

The popular Sarona complex is home to Israel’s largest indoor culinary market but had faced criticism earlier this year from authorities over security failings.

Israel has been struggling to cope with eight months of Palestinian attacks that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans. About 200 Palestinians have been killed during that time, most identified as attackers by Israel.