Fifteen years ago Berg first took refuge in that basement, then a newly established community center of the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association. 'I came here, found people to share myself with, to be who I was with others,' Berg recalled. And so it had been for a generation of young gay men and women who came for company, counseling and courage to come out of the closet. 'This basement is our home,' and the teens who had frequented it lately are 'our kids,' he said. 'Last night, someone came into our home and killed our kids.' An unknown masked gunman's Saturday night-shooting rampage in the basement sanctuary, which left two people dead and 11 others wounded, shattered the gay community's relative sense of security in Tel Aviv. As hundreds of gay men and women gathered in mourning Sunday near the scene of Israel's bloodiest recorded attack on homosexuals, expressions of outrage came from the country's leadership, lawmakers across the political spectrum, and the Orthodox religious hierarchy. Some secular politicians called the shooting a hate crime and demanded an end to incitement against gays by elected officials, religious leaders and others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he called a 'horrific killing' and told his Cabinet: 'We are a tolerant, democratic country governed by the rule of law, and we must respect each and every person.' Police said the gunman, who remained on the loose Sunday, holstered his weapon and fled on foot into central Tel Aviv's busy streets. Limited by a court-imposed gag order, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld offered few details. He said the assailant used a pistol, not an automatic rifle as some witnesses initially reported. And he said police had discarded the possibility that the gunman was a Palestinian militant. 'All indications point to a criminal incident and not a terror attack, which was most likely deliberately directed against the gay and lesbian community,' Rosenfeld said. The crime dominated Israel's news headlines Sunday. Israelis awoke to front-page photographs showing overturned furniture on the community center's blood-streaked floor. Newspapers and Web sites made space for guest columns by gay celebrities and articles about the two people killed. One of the dead was Nir Katz, a 26-year-old counselor at the community center who devoted his life to helping closeted homosexual teens. The other was Liz Trobishi, 16. Relatives and friends said she did not identify herself as gay but frequented the center to support friends who were. Most of the wounded were teens. Four were listed in serious condition Sunday and breathing with the aid of respirators. Two adult counselors were undergoing surgery. Community leaders said some of the wounded had concealed their sexual orientation from their parents, who were doubly shocked by the attack and the revelation of where their children were hanging out. Berg, the entrepreneur who years ago gained parental acceptance of his homosexuality, said he worried about the effect of the shooting on Israel's young homosexuals. 'What happened last night takes us back years in the fears of parents and families,' he said. 'But we cannot let anyone or anything take us back into the closet.' Shaul Ganon, who runs the community center, said the gay community was angry and determined 'to fight back,' not cower in fear. 'Just like we do not stop riding the bus after a suicide bombing, we will continue meeting and holding our activities,' he said. Mourners lingered in front of the community center on a central Tel Aviv side street in the predawn hours after the shooting and for much of Sunday. They left lighted candles on a sidewalk littered with the discarded blue surgical gloves of paramedics who had carried out the wounded. In late afternoon, the crowd swelled, hoisted rainbow flags and held a rally nearby. 'Perhaps this terrible day can be a turning point,' said Tzipi Livni, leader of the center-left opposition in parliament. 'It is true, we do not yet know who the murderer is and what his motives were. But we do know that there was hate here.' 