At least two people were killed and several were wounded Thursday when a shooter opened fire at a central bar in Tel Aviv.
Six people were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, said the Magen David Adom ambulance service, which had received reports of several shootings around the downtown district.
"So far, 10 wounded have arrived at the trauma room of Ichilov Hospital. But unfortunately, despite the doctors' efforts, two of the wounded died," the hospital said in a statement.
Live footage of the attack showed police arriving at the scene and pointing their guns at the upper levels of a building, as well as an explosion. Police said they suspected that a single shooter had carried out the attack and was now on the run.
"A terrorist opened fire at short range and then fled on foot. Several people are wounded," police spokesman Eli Levy said on Channel 13 television.
Hours after the shooting, hundreds of Israeli police officers, army special forces and canine units searched neighborhoods in central Tel Aviv for the suspected shooter.
The motive for the attack was not clear. However, tensions have been high in Israel after several recent attacks by Palestinians that have killed 11 people.
The shootings occurred on Dizengoff Street, a major commercial street, Reuters reported. Police were advising people to avoid that area. Dizengoff Street was the site of a 2016 attack in which an Arab citizen of Israel shot and killed two Israelis and wounded several others.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was monitoring the situation from military headquarters in downtown Tel Aviv, his administration said.
In recent weeks, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders have had many meetings aimed at managing the tensions in the country and issuing thousands of work permits for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
