UPDATE 4;01 PM : The bank robbery wasn’t a robbery.

New reports are now saying that the “bank robber”, a former captain in the  border police (age 40), was actually a dissatisfied client of the bank and had been recently been turned down for a NIS 6000 loan. After being denied access to account at the ATM machine on Monday, he went home, got his gun, and returned to shoot the bank manager and a teller. The man reportedly confirmed his kills on the bank staff.

The victims were identified  as branch manager Avner Cohen, 44; bank teller Meir Zeitoun, 40, and customers Anat Even-Haim, 34, and Idan Shnitzer-Savri, 22.

Police initially thought the gunman had a partner who had been transported early on to the hospital with gunshot wounds, but it turns out the man carried out the attack alone. and the injured man was also a victim.

BREAKING EVENTS

MONDAY 1:18 PM MDA declared a Mass Casualty Event at a Bank HaPoalim in Be’er Sheva on Yohana Jabotinsky Boulevard. It appears to be a bank robbery that went very wrong.

There were two bank robbers from the town of Be’er Sheva. The robbers apparently began shooting, when citizens tried to disarm him.

The second injured bank robber was taken to the hospital at the beginning of the event.

There is ongoing shooting. Seven people outside the bank are wounded. There are a number of hostages in the bank.

Zaka says there are 4 dead so far.

2:04 PM Reports of a fifth dead person.

2:05 PM Additional shooting heard. One female hostage confirmed.

2:07 PM Reports say that the bank robber just killed himself, and the hostage is now outside the bank.

It appears that the robbery is over and that the bank robber committed suicide.

2:13 PM Police are searching inside the bank for additional wounded and bank robbers.

2:17 PM New shooting inside the bank.

2:20 PM Police have announced that the robbery is over.

The average life expectancy in Israel is 81.7 years, fifth highest among OECD countries, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The annual report on the eve of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, also reported that 10 percent of Israelis live in Jerusalem

Tel Aviv is the second most popular city, where 5 percent of Israelis live. The figures do not include the entire metropolitan Tel Aviv, known in Hebrew as Gush Dan and includes Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Petach Tikvah, Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan and Rishon LeTzion, among others.

Arabs comprise 20.7 percent of the entire population, and the statistics reflect a continuing trend that denies the claim that the Arab percentage of the population is increasing.

However, the Bedouin population continues to soar in the Negev, where Jews are a small minority outside of Be’er Sheva.

6:05 PM Official Statement from the Rishon Municipality:

We request from the public to adhere to the directives of the IDF Homefront Command. When hearing a siren, enter the nearest secure area; bomb shelter or room with the least amount of external walls, windows and doors. It is forbidden to leave the safe area till 10 minutes after the siren was sounded.  The municipality is now, at this very moment opening all the public bomb shelters

6:01 PM Since the rocket launch at Rishon, there is severe cellular service disruption.   5:59 PM 4 Grad rockets that were shot at Beer Sheva region were taken out by Iron Dome.  Ambulances are scouring the area.

5:51 PM 6 explosions heard in Beer Sheva region, Sirens in Chatzeirim (IAF airbase) 

5:49 PM IDF combat soldiers and ground troops positioning themselves near Gaza, preparing for ground incursion.  Waiting for “go ahead” from Government.  Soldiers continue to stream southwards in preparation… 

5:45 PM Internal Security Minister Aharonovitch confirms rocket launch towards Rishon LZiyon, says it landed, but not “in” Rishon. (Channel 2 TV) 5:42 PM Tzeva Adom / Air Raid Sirens in Sderot. 

5:36 PM No reported injuries in any of the recent attacks.  Waiting for confirmation of any rockets strikes (this time) in the Southern Edge of Gush Dan.  As of now, none identified by Israeli sources.

5:33 PM Another barrage of rockets at the Kissufim area (adjascent to Central Gaza strip)

5:30 PM Sirens all over the southern edge of Gush Dan / Greater Tel Aviv: Holon, Bat Yam, Rishon…rockets launches seen…. 

5:12 PM Mira Sharf HY”D, of Kiryat Melachi, killed this morning by rocket fire. Her husband Shmulik and and one year old son were also seriously injured. Their neighbor Aaron Semdaje HY”D was also murdered in the attack.Mira and Shmulik were planning to go to India to serve as Shluchim for Chabad. 4 years ago today (Rosh Chodesh Kislev) the Chabad Shlichim in Mumbai, India were murdered by Islamic terrorists.

5:03 PM Another barrage of rockets fired over Ashdod, air raid sirens sounding.

4:58 PM One of the rocket sites destroyed by Israel was dug in between an elementary school and a mosque. (Channel 10 news) 

4:53 PM CONFIRMED: Grad missile lands in open area near Rishon L’Tzion.No injuries or wounded.

At just after 2PM, two IDF soldiers were moderately wounded and one soldier was lightly wounded from a rocket that exploded in the Eshkol Regional Council. The two soldiers were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva for treatment. Notification was given to their families.

8:40 AM In the past 20 minutes, 30-40 rockets fired from Gaza. There was a direct hit on a house in Kiryat Melachi. Reports of critically wounded woman.

2 injured. People trapped.

MDA and police responding.

Sirens in Be’er Sheva

8:01 AM Muslim Bros call for global “Day of Rage” against IDF “aggression”

8:00 AM Sirens in Ashkelon

7:57 AM Sirens in Ashkelon / Beer Tuvia region

7:48 AM Sirens in Beer Sheva – massive explosion reported. Barrage of rockets launched at Beer Sheva.

7:14 AM Red Alert in Eshkol Region

Israel Air Force crafts attacked Thursday morning a rocket launching site in northern Gaza, and an offensive tunnel in the southern part of the strip. The IDF Spokesman’s office stated: “The IDF is set up and ready to defend the citizens of Israel and respond with strength and determination against any terrorist attempt.”

The spokesman added: “The Hamas, which is using other terrorist organizations to execute terror activities against Israel, will be responsible for any future response chosen by the IDF to remove the threat of terror and restore relative quiet in the region.”

Earlier, on Wednesday night, there were sirens in Beer Sheva after the detection of a Grad rocket that was launched at the city. But the Iron Dome system successfully shot the rocket down. Following that event, local mayors decided to close down the schools Thursday.

Life did not go on as usual today in southern Israel, for those within range of Gazan rockets.

The Iron Dome system took care of most of the more dangerous rocket strikes, but that doesn’t mean it got them all, as some still managed to hit in Israeli population centers.

Here are some pictures of what life was like today in Israel’s southern cities and towns.

Evacuating an injured woman in Ashdod

This car didn’t fare too well against a rocket

Windows got blown out from rocket strikes in Ashdod

Premature baby being moved to a bomb shelter at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon

(Photo credits: Flash90)

Israel TV Channel 2 reports that seven people are being charged with trading in weapons that had been stolen from an IDF munitions base in the south. Indictments against them were submitted to the Beer Sheva District Court. Three of the suspects, who live in the Bedouin diaspora, are suspected of stealing at least 3,000 shells worth about NIS 23 million ($6 million).

The seven were arrested following a joint, secret investigation of GSS, the police, and military police. The indictment describes an abysmal security situation at the IDF base, which is located outside Mitzpe Ramon, about half-way between Beer Sheva and Eilat.

The base was surrounded by low wire fences, above which the thieves were able to step easily and take their time hauling the enormous loot unmolested for half a year.

The IDF says that the appropriate lessons have been learned from the case and security is now greatly improved at the base.