Tel Aviv Bar Shooting: At Least Two Killed and Seven Injured

Two people have been killed and seven others injured after a gunman opened fire with an automatic rifle at a Tel Aviv bar, Israeli police say.

Four of the wounded had suffered serious injuries.

Security forces have launched a huge manhunt for the gunman, cordoning off areas of the city.

The incident took place in Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv’s center.

It was not immediately clear what motivated the shooting, which follows a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis over the past few months.

Undercover units and counter-terrorism units were working in different areas of Tel Aviv.

However, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told reporters at the scene that “this appears to be a terrorist attack motivated by nationalism,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

As of December 23, 2015, at least 21 Israelis had been killed in the recent violence, most of them in stabbings and shooting attacks by Palestinians.

At least 131 Palestinians have also been killed. More than half were said by Israel to be attackers. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces.