NEAR ALLENBY BRIDGE CROSSING, West Bank (Reuters) – A gunman crossing from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge border in the occupied West Bank before security forces shot him dead on Sunday, Israeli authorities said.
It was the first attack of its kind along the border with Jordan since Palestinian Islamist group Hamas carried out an assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the war in Gaza that has ratcheted up tensions across the region.
The attack took place in a commercial cargo area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks offload cargo entering the West Bank, officials said. The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is about midway between Amman and Jerusalem just 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.
“The terrorist was eliminated by the security forces, three Israeli civilians were pronounced dead as a result of the attack,” it added.
Shortly after, Israel closed all three of its land border crossings with Jordan, according to the Israel Airports Authority which oversees such routes.
A Jordanian border official said at least two dozen Jordanian truck drivers in the offloading area had been detained by Israel’s military for interrogation.
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.
“This is a difficult day,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “A loathsome terrorist murdered in cold blood three of our civilians.”
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri praised the attack, referring to it as a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. “We expect many more similar actions,” he said.
