Israel Police on high alert after 5 killed in Tel Aviv shooting

Five people were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire on passers-by and vehicles outside Tel Aviv, Israel, in the third shooting or knife incident in a week, forcing authorities to elevate the national alert level to "the maximum conceivable."

The shooter was shot and killed by police in Bnei Brak, a bustling Tel Aviv suburb, late Tuesday, according to police and the Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency medical service, according to Xinhua news agency.

"The terrorist is confirmed dead," Police Spokesman Eli Levi told the state-owned Kan TV news. The perpetrator was armed with an M-16 rifle, said another police statement.

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According to the authorities, the shooter was a Palestinian from the West Bank who had entered Israel without permission.

According to Kan TV news, the assailant, a 27-year-old guy, had previously been convicted of illegal arms trafficking and had served around six months in prison before being released in late 2015.

At least one of the fatalities, according to a paramedic with the United Hatzalah rescue agency, was a police officer.

According to eyewitnesses, a gunman on a scooter opened fire on apartment balconies before moving on to bystanders in the street.

No one has claimed responsibility for the strike, which is Israel's third in a week.

Later on Tuesday, the police said Commissioner of Israel Police Kobi Shabtai has decided to raise the alert level to the highest possible, which is "the highest it has been since the fighting in Gaza in 2021."

Starting from Wednesday, thousands of police officers will be deployed to guard schools, kindergartens, bus stations, and crowded places across the country, said a police statement.

In the following days, most of the police efforts will be put into "fighting terror, increasing their presence in the streets and securing the civilian population," it said.

Meanwhile, the army said it will send additional troops, including four battalions, to the West Bank after assessing the situation.

This was in addition to another four battalions already sent to reinforce the area on Monday, a day after a fatal shooting attack took place in the city of Hadera in northern Israel, said an army statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said "Israel is facing a wave of murderous Arab terrorism," after the deadly shooting on Tuesday.

"The security forces are at work. We will fight terrorism with persistence, diligence and with an iron fist," the premier was quoted by his office`s statement as saying.

The PM`s office said Bennett held a security consultation with top security officials on Tuesday night. He will host an emergency meeting of the security cabinet on Wednesday.

(With inputs from IANS)