Israel clamps down on Palestinian movements and boosts security after attack
Israeli policemen arrest a suspect man shortly after a shooting attack in the coastal Mediterranean city of Tel Aviv on June 8, 2016. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Officials suspend entry permits for more than 80,000 Palestinians.
TEL AVIV, Thursday
Israel clamped down on Palestinian movements and boosted security today after Palestinian gunmen shot dead four people at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot, the deadliest attack in a months-long wave of violence.
Surveillance video seemingly from the moment of the attack that spread online showed the two assailants, dressed in black suits and ties, calmly walking into a cafe before pulling out guns and opening fire on its terrace.
Most patrons fled in panic, though some fought back at the cafe at Sarona Market in Israel’s commercial capital.
At one point, one of the attackers violently threw a handgun to the ground as two victims lay motionless on the terrace.
Five people were wounded in addition to the four killed.
The cafe remained open today and was about half full in the afternoon, despite widespread shock among Israelis over the attack.
On the grass nearby, dozens of teenagers sat in a circle playing guitars and singing: “Don’t be afraid, if you are alone, be strong”.
Officials said they were suspending entry permits for more than 80,000 Palestinians during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in a move that was likely to further stoke tension.
Israel was also sending two additional battalions—hundreds more troops—into the occupied West Bank. Those killed were all Israelis, identified as Ido Ben Aryeh, 42, Ilana Nave, 39, Michael Feige, 58, and Mila Mishayev, 32, police said.
They said one of the attackers was arrested, while the other was wounded by gunfire and had undergone surgery.
They were identified as Khaled Mohammad Makhamrah, 22, and his cousin Mohammad Ahmad Makhamrah, 21, both from the Hebron area in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene after what he called the “cold-blooded terrorist murder”.
“We discussed a range of offensive and defensive steps which we shall take in order to act against this phenomenon,” Netanyahu’s office quoted him as saying. “There will be intensive action by the police, the army and other security services, not just to catch every accomplice to this murder but also to prevent further incidents.”
