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June 2016 Tel Aviv Shooting

SOLVED2015Sarona Market, Tel Aviv3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Max Brenner at Sarona Market 02
Max Brenner at Sarona Market 02 — Credit: FeldBum · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the evening of 8 June 2016, two gunmen dressed in suits and ties entered the Max Brenner Cafe at the Sarona Market complex in Tel Aviv, Israel. According to the Wikipedia account of the incident, the two men sat outside, ordered desserts, and at 21:27 stood up and opened fire on diners until one of their firearms jammed. They then fled the scene. Four people were killed and seven others were injured; several more people were treated for anxiety-related symptoms at the scene and at hospitals.

The victims killed were named as Ido Ben-Ari, 42, a father of two and former Sayeret Matkal commando who worked at Coca-Cola's Israel branch; Mila Mishayev, 32, who was shot in the leg and died of blood loss after calling her fiancé; Ilana Naveh, 39, a mother of four who died of a heart attack shortly after the attack; and Michael Feige, 58, a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The perpetrators were identified as cousins Khalid al-Muhamra and Muhammad Ahmad Moussa Mahmara, both 21, from the town of Yatta in the Hebron area of the West Bank. Security forces captured both men alive. One was wounded and detained following a gunfight with a civilian guard, while the other was apprehended after an off-duty, plainclothes policeman who had briefly sheltered him in his home realized the man's identity and returned to arrest him. During the arrest, a responding officer's weapon discharged, wounding another policeman with shrapnel.

An Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) investigation found the two men had been influenced by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) propaganda videos, though they did not receive direct instruction, aid, or make a formal pledge of allegiance to the group. An official indictment described the perpetrators as "inspired by" the Islamic State, though the report notes the suspects and their associates were also known members of rival factions. Hamas publicly praised the attack and claimed both men as its members, while the Palestinian Authority and Fatah issued statements distancing themselves from targeting civilians, though Fatah also described the attack as a "natural response" to Israeli actions.

In the aftermath, Israeli authorities suspended roughly 83,000 Palestinian entry permits for the Ramadan period, imposed a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, revoked 204 work permits associated with the perpetrators' extended family (the al-Makhamra clan), and demolished one perpetrator's family home. These measures drew criticism from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights as potential collective punishment.

Following legal proceedings, the two perpetrators and an additional man who had aided in the preparations but did not join the attack were convicted and sentenced to four life sentences plus sixty years. A further individual was convicted and sentenced to six months for harboring the perpetrators the night before the attack.

Key facts

Victims
Michael Feige, Ido Ben-Ari, Ilana Naveh, Mila Mishayev
Date
2015
Location
Sarona Market, Tel Aviv
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2015

    One of the eventual perpetrators, Muhammad Ahmad Moussa Mahmara, spent time studying in Jordan, where he was influenced by ISIL propaganda videos.

  2. 2016-01

    Muhammad returned to Yatta and the decision to carry out the attack was made.

  3. 2016-06-08

    Two gunmen infiltrated Israel through a break in the West Bank separation barrier, traveled to Tel Aviv, and at 21:27 opened fire on patrons at the Max Brenner Cafe in Sarona Market, killing four and injuring seven; both perpetrators were captured alive by security forces the same night.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Michael Feige

    VICTIM

    58-year-old victim from Ramat Gan, a university professor, killed in the attack.

  • Muhammad Ahmad Moussa Mahmara

    CONVICTED

    One of the two gunmen who carried out the shooting; convicted and sentenced to four life sentences plus sixty years.

  • Ido Ben-Ari

    VICTIM

    42-year-old victim from Ramat Gan, killed in the attack.

  • Ilana Naveh

    VICTIM

    39-year-old victim from Tel Aviv, died of a heart attack following the attack.

  • Khalid al-Muhamra

    CONVICTED

    One of the two gunmen who carried out the shooting; convicted and sentenced to four life sentences plus sixty years.

  • Mila Mishayev

    VICTIM

    32-year-old victim from Rishon LeZion, killed in the attack.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Max Brenner at Sarona Market 02

    archival location

    Max Brenner at Sarona Market 02

    Credit: FeldBum · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Memorial for Sarona attack 2016

    archival location

    Memorial for Sarona attack 2016

    Credit: Bolter21 · CC0 · Source

  • PikiWiki Israel 46147 Sarona Market

    unclassified

    PikiWiki Israel 46147 Sarona Market

    Credit: Dr. Avishai Teicher · CC BY 2.5 · Source

Places

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on patrons at a Max Brenner cafe in Tel Aviv's Sarona Market on 8 June 2016, killing four people and injuring seven others before being captured; both were later convicted and sentenced to life terms.
Where did the shooting happen?
Sarona Market, Tel Aviv.
Who was convicted?
Muhammad Ahmad Moussa Mahmara (One of the two gunmen who carried out the shooting; convicted and sentenced to four life sentences plus sixty years.) and Khalid al-Muhamra (One of the two gunmen who carried out the shooting; convicted and sentenced to four life sentences plus sixty years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. June 2016 Tel Aviv shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — Reutersnews · Reuters · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Guardiannews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07