Three Israelis shot dead at West Bank-Jordan crossing
According to Israeli officials, three Israeli men were shot dead at a border crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) identified the gunman as Maher Jazi, a Jordanian. Jazi reportedly approached the Allenby Bridge crossing in a truck from the Jordanian side, exited the vehicle, and began shooting.
Security forces “neutralized” the attacker, and the IDF inspected the truck for explosives. Jordan is currently investigating the incident, which occurred in an area controlled by Israel where Jordanian vehicles unload goods destined for the West Bank.
The border crossing has been closed on both sides. Israeli media have reported the victims as Yohanan Shchori, 61, Yuri Birnbaum, 65, and Adrian Marcelo Podzamczer, whose age has not been disclosed.
The three men were said to be guards working at the border crossing but were not military or police.
Kan News, Israel’s state broadcaster, reported that Jazi was a 39-year-old who had worked as a truck driver.
Video footage showed the attacker walking to the terminal and firing his weapon three times before he was shot dead.
A Jordanian border official told Reuters that at least two dozen Jordanian truck drivers in the offloading area had been detained by Israel’s military for interrogation.
All of Israel’s land crossings with Jordan have been closed after the incident, the Israel Airports Authority said.
The Allenby Bridge crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, lies about halfway between Amman and Jerusalem and is the only official crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan. It is also the only entry point to the West Bank that does not go through Israel.
Jordan and Israel maintain security, trade, and diplomatic ties – though Jordan is critical of Israel’s actions towards Palestinians.
Dozens of trucks cross from Jordan daily to supply goods for markets in both the West Bank and Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “hard day” and sent his condolences to the victims’ families at the start of a cabinet meeting.
He added: “A loathsome terrorist murdered three of our citizens in cold blood at the Allenby Bridge.”
Hamas officials did not claim responsibility for the attack but described it as a “natural response” to the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian health ministry says more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank violence since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.
During the same period, at least 18 Israelis were killed in West Bank violence, according to United Nations (UN) figures, which do not include deaths since 11 August.
Last week, Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin city and its refugee camp – an area in the West Bank – after a major nine-day operation there. The area is a stronghold of militants and has a civilian population of about 60,000.
Israel says it is trying to stem deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Israel, and acting against terrorism.
