Five killed by gunman in Bnei Brak terror attack

Five people have been killed and at least one other wounded during a series of shootings in a Tel Aviv suburb on Tuesday night.

Israeli media reported between two and three shootings in parts of Bnei Brak, a neighbourhood to the east of Tel Aviv.

The neighbourhood is known for its large strictly-Orthodox population.

Police said the shots were fired from a motorcycle as it drove through the neighbourhood and that at least one of the casualties was a serving officer.

The gunman, who was shot dead, was named as a Diaa Hamarsheha, a 26-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank who had a previous conviction for security offences.

Video footage filmed on a phone showed a man dressed in black carrying a rifle and firing as passers-by.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was facing “a murderous Arab terror wave.”

He added in a statement: “We will fight terrorism with persistence, diligence and an iron fist… We will win.”

An eyewitness who said he saw the incident from his balcony told Channel 13 news: “We heard at least 10 or 12 bullets within a minute. I ran quickly downstairs. Then all the residents of the nearby buildings started coming.

“There was a man injured on the floor here in a serious condition. I realised he was sadly dead. There were two other dead people and one in a car. The cars were packed here. He carried on to Herzl Street. I understand that there was also someone killed there.

“It was a terrible situation.”

Yosef Chaim, who lives in a building overlooking the road where the shooting took place, added: “At the beginning we heard shooting but we thought because it’s just after Purim people and still set off little fireworks. But then we heard screams and I looked out my window

“I saw him [the suspected gunman] with my own eyes. He had an M16 and was with a black shirt. He tried to shoot a neighbour. Then he fled to Herzl Street.

“First he shot at the kiosk and then continued to here.”

The Magen David Adom emergency service said its paramedics were treating five victims.

A video it shared showed an ambulance and other emergency vehicles at the scene.

Officials could not immediately confirm if there were multiple suspects or a single shooter involved, although Channel 12 television reported an Arab gunman was responsible and had been shot dead.

It was not immediately clear if the incident was terror-related, although it comes after two attacks in other parts of Israel in the past week.

The previous two incidents — in Hadera and Beersheva — were claimed by Arab Israelis linked to the Islamic State group.