This article has been updated.
TEL AVIV — A hunt was launched Friday for a gunman who killed at least two people and injured seven others outside a cafe-bar in downtown Tel Aviv, officials said.
The search was sparked after the assailant opened fire on a group of people outside the venue, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officials were investigating whether the incident was terror-related.
Of the seven people wounded, two were in severe condition and five were moderate, according to police. The injured were treated by medical teams and sent to the hospital.
“I hid in a shed near the place of the shooting,” a witness, who gave his name as Osnat, told Israel’s Army Radio.
“I heard load noise of shooting, we were ready that any second the shooter [would] enter where we hid. I’m still shaking.”
The shooting happened on the corner of Dizengoff and Gordon Streets, a vibrant area blocks away from the beach that features a lot of shops, cafes and bars.
Nati Shakked, owner of a nearby bar that was hit by gunfire, said the assailant had waited on a bench outside before taking a machine-gun out of a bag and “shooting in every direction”.
“It was a terrorist attack, without a doubt,” he told Israel’s Channel Two television.








