Panic erupted at a Memorial Day ceremony Tuesday evening in Habima Square in Tel Aviv when a person attempted to enter the event area, triggering alarm among attendees. Police later clarified that it was not a security incident.
According to police, a citizen approached officers stationed at the location and directed their attention to several suspicious individuals wearing vests. The officers approached the suspects, asked them to identify themselves, and when they didn't comply, arrested them. A subsequent investigation revealed these individuals were actually ushers employed at the event.
The suspects, residents of Kafr Qara, Nazareth, and Sulam, were transferred for questioning at the police station. Police repeatedly emphasized that this was not a security-related incident.
Video: Crowd flees from the Memorial Day event area at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. Credit: Usage under Israel's Intellectual Property Law Article 27(a)
Videos from the scene show people running frantically and chairs overturned on the ground. "There was crazy panic, people were lying on the floor. It was like a tsunami of people running," one ceremony participant said. "People who live in the area opened their homes to let in as many people as possible and asked them to be quiet so they wouldn't be heard from outside."
Video: Crowd flees from the Memorial Day event area at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. Credit: Usage under Israel's Intellectual Property Law Article 27(a)
Approximately 20 people with minor to very minor injuries who were hurt during the rush arrived at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Medical Center following the incident. A mother describing her daughter's experience at Habima said, "A few minutes after leaving, my 17-year-old daughter called in great panic, not to say hysteria, saying there was an attack at Habima and she ran away and didn't know where she was. Everyone was running in great chaos. Someone broke through a glass building door, got injured, and then went up the stairs and knocked on doors. No one opened. They went up to the building's roof. She lost contact with her friends."
Video: Personal belongings scattered across Habima Square in Tel Aviv. Credit: Carlos Dermer
In the aftermath of the panic and chaos on Tuesday evening, numerous personal belongings remained scattered across Habima Square. The items were abandoned by attendees who fled when suspicions of a terrorist attack first arose. The ceremony, which had just started before the incident, was cancelled due to the chaos.
"A country in trauma," multiple users commented on footage circulated on social media. "We don't have a single quiet moment," another user said. The Israel Police have charged the suspects with resisting arrest, assaulting officers, disturbing the peace, and obstructing police in the performance of their duties.
