Israeli officials reported that a gunman coming from Jordan fatally shot three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge border in the occupied West Bank before being killed by security forces on Sunday.
The attack along the border with Jordan was the first of its kind since Hamas’s assault on southern Israel on October 7, which led to increased tensions in the region and sparked the war in Gaza.
Attack took place in cargo area under Israeli control
Officials stated that the assault occurred in a commercial cargo zone controlled by Israel, where trucks from Jordan unload goods going into the West Bank. The King Hussein Bridge, also referred to as the crossing, is located approximately halfway between Amman and Jerusalem, slightly to the north of the Dead Sea.
“A terrorist approached the area of the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a truck, exited the truck and opened fire at the Israeli security forces operating at the bridge,” the Israeli military said.
Also read: Israel retaliates after rocket strike in Golan Heights kills 12
Israel shuts land border crossings with Jordan
Shortly after that, Israel shut down all three of its land border entrances with Jordan, as reported by the Israel Airports Authority in charge of monitoring these passages.
An official from Jordan’s border reported that Israel’s military had detained around twenty-four Jordanian truck drivers for questioning in the offloading zone.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have close security ties. Dozens of trailers cross daily from Jordan, with goods from Jordan and the Gulf that supply both the West Bank and Israeli markets.
