Two Israelis were killed and eight others were wounded when a gunman opened fire on Friday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, police and medical officials said.

Two Israelis were killed and eight others were wounded when a gunman opened fire on Friday in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, police and medical officials said.

An eyewitness told Channel 1 television the assailant used an automatic weapon against Israelis at a pub.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, said four of the injured were in serious condition.

Occupation police said the motive for the shooting was not immediately known and that the assailant remained at large.

"Police units searching Tel Aviv area for suspect who carried out shooting. All injured taken to Tel Aviv hospitals," occupation police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld wrote on Twitter.

The occupied territories have been rocked by a wave of attacks against Zionists in retaliation of the Israeli repressive measures against the Palestinians across the West Bank and especially in al-Quds. Zionist settlers backed by occupation forces have been repeatedly storming the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, sparking Palestinian anger.

According to the United Nations 170 Palestinians have been martyred, while the operations against the Zionist occupiers killed 26 Israelis since the start of the year and until December 28 in attacks and clashes.

Meanwhile on Friday, the Zionist entity was set to hand over the bodies of 23 Palestinian martyrs killed during recent operations against Israelis, the occupation army said.

"Today, in accordance with the instructions from the government, the army is planning to return the bodies of 23 Palestinian assailants," a military spokeswoman told AFP.

Palestinian medical sources in al-Khalil said 17 bodies to be buried in the area had already been received. Six others were to be handed over in the northern West Bank.

Palestinian sources said the Israelis were still holding a total of 17 bodies.