The relief news for Tel Aviv residents came in the morning: the assassin, who had shot around in the middle of the city the night before, killing two people and seriously injuring several others, had himself been killed.

According to official information, secret service forces tracked him down after a search lasting several hours in the Arab district of Jaffa, where he was hiding near a mosque.

It was said that he was shot dead there after a firefight.

Christian Meier

Political correspondent for the Middle East and Northeast Africa.

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This ended what Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had described hours earlier as a "very tough night".

The consequences of the latest in a series of terrorist attacks in Israel are likely to be felt for a long time to come: a further escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is imminent, and the stability of the Israeli governing coalition, which had lost its majority in parliament just the day before, could also be threatened be further compromised, culminating in the overthrow of Prime Minister Bennett.

Hour-long large-scale operation throughout the city

According to local media reports, the perpetrator was a 28-year-old Palestinian who lived in the Jenin refugee camp.

On Thursday evening, Raed Hazem entered a bar on Dizengoff Street in the heart of Tel Aviv.

There, the black-clad man began firing at guests with a gun and then fled.

Two men, aged 27 and 29, died from their wounds.

More than a dozen other victims, some seriously injured, were taken to the hospital.

One was still in critical condition as of Friday morning.

Video footage shows people running away from the scene in panic.

Despite a large-scale operation involving thousands of security forces, it took nine hours for Hazem to be found.

Many residents of Tel Aviv did not leave their homes during this time out of fear, there were calls to lock doors and windows.

Police chief Jakob Schabtai said on Friday morning that the security forces were still on high alert.

The police will also ensure security during the Islamic Friday prayers - the first of this year's fasting month of Ramadan, which began a few days ago.

The Tel Aviv police chief said there were no warnings about the attack.

13 terror victims since mid-March

This was the fourth deadly attack in Israel in two and a half weeks.

On March 22, a supporter of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) killed four people in Beersheba.

On March 27, two people were shot dead by two IS supporters in the city of Hadera.

And on March 29, a West Bank Palestinian killed five people in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak.

As a result, the presence of security forces in Israeli cities was visibly increased.

In addition, measures had been taken to prevent further assassins from reaching Israel from the West Bank: additional army units were transferred to the occupied Palestinian territory, and the army tried to stem the flow of Palestinians,

At the same time, many Israelis are concerned that a new wave of Palestinian terrorism is imminent, as it was last seen in 2015 and 2016. The attack in the middle of Tel Aviv is likely to fuel these fears.

There have been 13 fatalities since the end of March.

The attack will also increase the pressure on the government and the leadership of the army and police.

Bennett said on Friday night that anyone who helped the assassin directly or indirectly would "pay a price".

The Prime Minister ordered the crossing to Israel north of Jenin to be closed until further notice.

The refugee camp there has long been considered a trouble spot.

It is unclear whether the time of the attack also had a symbolic dimension: Exactly twenty years ago, at the beginning of April 2002,

This is where the “Battle of Jenin” took place – days of fierce fighting between the Israeli army and Palestinian militant groups during the Second Intifada.

At least 50 Palestinians and more than 20 Israeli soldiers were killed at the time, and numerous Palestinian houses were also destroyed.

 Netanyahu: Terrorism senses weakness

It is unclear what further measures the army will now take to prevent further attacks.

As is usual in such cases, the attacker's family home is likely to be destroyed soon.

It is questionable whether such measures really provide deterrence, as the Israeli government claims.

On the contrary, they could increase tensions.

This also applies to general movement restrictions that could be imposed on Palestinians.

But the politicians are under pressure to act after the measures taken so far have not been able to prevent the attack.

There is also a domestic political dimension: after a member of parliament from Bennett's Jamina party withdrew her support from the governing coalition on Wednesday, the coalition now has no majority in parliament.

And the opposition surrounding former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently courting other Yamina members.

The perception that the government is showing weakness in the face of Palestinian terrorism could fuel withdrawal movements.

Netanyahu had already tried to reinforce such considerations with public statements: At a rally on Wednesday evening he said that the current government could not bring security to the Israelis.

"There is a simple rule," said Netanyahu.

“When terrorism senses weakness, it raises its head.

But when confronted with strength, he lowers his head.” Netanyahu claimed that his own reign was “the best decade in Israel's history” in terms of the country's security.