Four killed after gunmen target Tel Aviv shopping centre

Four-year-old girl among the wounded before police swoop on Palestinian cousins at the scene

FOUR people were killed and at least five others injured during a shooting attack at a Tel Aviv shopping mall close to the Israeli defence ministry, police said last night.

One of those shot was reportedly a four-year-old girl who was in a critical condition last night.

Two Palestinian gunmen – cousins from the Hebron area in the occupied West Bank – were captured at the scene.

At least one was shot by police and taken to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where his victims were also being treated.

The attack shattered weeks of relative calm that came after six months of attacks by young Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The shooting spree took place at dinner time in the Sarona indoor market, a complex of shops and restaurants in the heart of Tel Aviv.

The gunmen apparently opened fire indiscriminately as people gathered over dinner.

Avraham Liber, who was at an ice cream shop, said: “It looked like he was sitting at the cafe and he got up and had a rifle in his hand and was just shooting point blank at people sitting down. I didn’t hear him say anything,” he said.

It was not clear if the attack was directed by Hamas, the Islamist militant group, but deputy leader Ismail Haniyyeh later praised the attackers.

“Glory to the heroes, mercy on their souls,” he tweeted.

Photographs from the scene appeared to show the attack was carried out with a small machinegun often used in Palestinian attacks.

Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, said: “We will continue to live in this city of Tel Aviv. We will continue to build, create and enjoy the city. Terror will not defeat us. The citizens of Tel Aviv have experienced hard times before. Tomorrow we must go back to our normal lives.”

The shooting took place as Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was landing at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport on his way back from a trip to Moscow.

Mr Netanyahu headed directly to the defence ministry, known as the Kirya, to be briefed on the incident.

The United States called it a “cowardly” attack, while UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, immediately condemned it.

“All must reject violence and say no to terror,” he said. “Our prayers are with the families of those killed. I am also shocked to see Hamas welcome the terror attack. Leaders must stand against violence and the incitement that fuels it, not condone it.”

The massacre breaks what had been a period of relative quiet after six months of attacks by young Palestinians against Israeli troops and civilians, mainly using knives.

The wave of violence that began last October claimed the lives of around 30 Israelis and some 200 Palestinians.