In an attack in the center of the coastal city of Tel Aviv, at least three people were injured by gunfire on Thursday evening. The Ichilov hospital said one of the injured was in mortal danger. Israeli television reported that the alleged Palestinian perpetrator had been shot dead by police officers. The police are still looking for possible helpers of the assassin in the area. The attack occurred while many people were also demonstrating in Tel Aviv against the controversial judicial reform in Israel.

The shots were fired on busy Dizengoff Street, very close to the site of an attack in which a Palestinian killed three Israelis and injured others in April last year. A local resident reported hearing loud screams. "People have fled in all directions," he said. "It was like the last attack – it's a terrible feeling."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on a visit to Rome, spoke of a "serious attack in Tel Aviv." Nevertheless, we will continue to "build in our country, put down deep roots in our homeland and secure our common future".

The situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been very tense for some time. On Thursday morning, Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinian militants in a vehicle near Jenin in the West Bank.

Already on Tuesday, six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in Jenin. According to the army, the Palestinian, who is said to be responsible for a deadly attack on two Israeli brothers in Huwara at the end of February, was also among the dead. According to media reports, he was a member of the military wing of the Islamist Hamas organization ruling the Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of the year, 13 Israelis and one Ukrainian woman have been killed in Palestinian attacks. In the same period, 76 Palestinians were killed – they were killed, for example, in confrontations with the Israeli army or in their own attacks. During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in less than two weeks, a further escalation of violence is feared.