Terrorist shot dead in Jaffa after an hours-long manhunt
Two 27-year-old childhood friends who were out for a drink on a beautiful early-spring evening in the heart of Tel Aviv, and a 35-year-old paralympic coach and father of three, were murdered when a terrorist opened fire on Dizengoff Street, always packed with restaurants and bars on Thursday evenings. After an hours-long manhunt that lasted into the middle of the night, the terrorist was killed in nearby Jaffa after a firefight with security forces.
The initial victims were identified as Tomer Morad and Eytam Magini, both 27, who grew up together in Kfar Saba. The mother of the fiancée of Eytam Magini said that the family had planned to celebrate the couple’s engagement the next night. “In this house, where we are now mourning, there was supposed to be a party this evening. Lia Arad told the Walla news site. “Our entire city is in deep mourning,” said Mayor of Kfar Saba Rafi Sa’ar.
Barak Lufan, who was critically wounded succumbed to his wounds the next day at Ichilov Medical Center, the hospital announced. The 35-year-old father of three was a resident of Givat Shmuel and grew up in Kibbutz Ginosar.
He was a coach on Israel’s Paralympic team and head coach of the Israeli national kayak team, according to his social media accounts.
Rabbi Eli Naiditch, co-director with his wife, Sara, of Chabad on the Coast, not far from the area where the shooting took place, was near the scene just minutes before the attack. “Everyone in our community is checking in with everyone else, especially those who have moved here recently,” Naiditch told Chabad.org. “Our prayers are with the injured and the loved ones of those who were killed.”
The attack began when the gunman opened fire at Ilka, a popular neighborhood bar with a large outdoor seating section. Panic spread throughout the area.
“Large numbers of forces are carrying out broad searches,” Police commander Rami Ben David told the media after the attack. He said people still out on the streets should return home.
Officials at Ichilov Medical Center say that they are treating eight victims. Four are being operated on and remain in serious condition, two are in moderate-to-serious condition, and two are in moderate condition.
The attack was the latest in a series of shootings and stabbings in late March that left 11 people dead in a single week, the worst outbreak of terrorist violence since 2006.
