NEAR ALLENBY BRIDGE, 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 officials said.
It was the first such attack on the Jordanian border since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas carried out an assault in southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza that has since escalated across the region.
The attack took place in a commercial cargo zone under Israeli control, where Jordanian trucks unload goods entering the West Bank, according to officials. The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is located halfway between Amman and Jerusalem, just north of the Dead Sea.
“A terrorist approached the Allenby Bridge area from Jordan in a truck, exited the truck and opened fire at Israeli security forces operating on the bridge,” the Israeli military said.
“The terrorist was eliminated by security forces and three Israeli civilians were declared dead as a result of the attack,” it said.
Jordan was investigating the shooting and a Jordanian official said the crossing has been closed.
The Israeli crossing manager said three workers were shot dead at point-blank range by the driver crossing from Jordan.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and maintain close security ties. Dozens of trailers cross Jordan every day carrying goods from Jordan and the Gulf, supplying both the West Bank and Israeli markets.