Israeli security forces early Friday hunted down and killed a Palestinian man identified as the suspect who had opened fire into a crowded bar in central Tel Aviv, killing two and wounding at least 10 in an attack that caused scenes of panic in the heart of the city and put the country on alert for more attacks.It was the fourth terror attack in Israel in two weeks, and came at a time of heightened tensions around the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.Prime Minister Bennett said the country’s forces were on “maximum alert” in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel due to concerns of “further incidents or copycat attacks.”Thursday’s shooting took place in a crowded bar on Dizengoff Street, a central thoroughfare in the coastal city that has seen other attacks over the years. The area was crowded with people in bars and restaurants as is typical for a Thursday night, the beginning of the Israeli weekend.In videos spread on social media, dozens of terrified people were seen running through the streets as police searched for the attacker and ordered people to stay indoors.Hundreds of Israeli police officers, canine units, and army special forces conducted a manhunt throughout the night across Tel Aviv, searching building by building through densely populated residential neighborhoods.Early Friday, authorities said they found the attacker, identified as 28-year-old Ra’ad Fathi Hazem from the Jenin refugee camp, hiding near a mosque in Jaffa, the historic mixed Jewish-Arab district in southern Tel Aviv. The attacker pulled out his gun and fired 10 bullets toward the officers, who returned fire and killed him.The Israeli police chief, Kobi Shabtai, said his forces, the army, and the Shin Bet security agency had spent a “difficult night” tracking down the assailant.Many Israeli journalists were following close behind, prompting a stinging rebuke from the communications minister, Yoaz Hendel. “A mother should not watch her son searching homes for a terrorist … the people of Israel should not be listening to the radio messages between police and the IDF and certainly should not be watching live from an operating room — what happened yesterday crossed a line,” Mr. Hendel said.After a meeting with security chiefs Friday morning, Mr. Bennett called for the Gilboa Crossing in the northern West Bank to remain closed “until further notice, with the goal” of restricting access to and from the terrorist’s hometown of Jenin. It was not immediately clear whether Israel would proceed or alter its plan to allow Palestinian worshippers to enter Jerusalem. Protests and clashes in the holy city during Ramadan last year eventually ignited an 11-day Gaza war.Israel’s interior security service, the Shin Bet, indicated that the terrorist had acted alone, saying he did not belong to an organized militant group and had no prior record. It said he had entered Israel illegally, having been denied an entry permit due to his affiliation with the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.The Israeli military frequently conducts arrest raids in Jenin, often coming under fire. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank and coordinates with Israel on security matters, appears to have little control over the area.Last night’s attack will bring the practice of allowing Palestinian day laborers to enter Israel illegally under increased scrutiny. Groups of Palestinian construction workers waiting for work pickups near busy intersections in the Tel Aviv area is a common sight, known to the army but rarely discussed. The Palestinian man who gunned down five people in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak, which is almost adjacent to Tel Aviv, entered Israel by driving through a large hole in the West Bank security fence armed with an M-16 assault rifle, prompting angry responses from Israeli leadership. After Thursday’s attack, 13 Israelis have been killed in recent weeks, making this one of the worst waves of terrorist violence in years.
