Three days have passed since Nashat Melhem opened fire on a Tel Aviv pub and security forces are still in the dark as to his whereabouts. 

The manhunt for the terrorist who murdered Alon Bakal (26) and Shimon Ruimi (30), and likely also taxi driver Amin Shaban, entered its fourth day on Monday, and at this stage IDF soldiers have joined the search. 

Special military units were deployed to north Tel Aviv and thoroughly searched every apartment in every building, but to no avail. 

Soldiers from the IDF’s Oketz Canine Unit also arrived with army dogs to one of the neighborhoods in north Tel Aviv and joined Border Police in scanning open territories in the area. 

As the high alert continues, many forces have expressed exhaustion and exasperation with the searches, which they claim are being conducted contrary to established procedure.

“There is no place we didn’t look in the air or on foot, and we are still dying to catch him,” one soldier told Channel 2. “He’s succeeding in playing us.”

Toward the evening, Tel Aviv District Police commander Benzi Sau led a special briefing with senior officers about updates in the investigation as well as the manhunt. 

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan also revealed Monday evening that Melhem had deliberately gotten rid of his cellular phone before carrying out the shooting on Dizengoff Street. 

“He is more sophisticated than people think,” Erdan told the Knesset Channel. “He deliberately did not come with a cell phone that day to make it more difficult to locate him.”