Three Israelis shot dead at West Bank-Jordan crossing

Three men have been killed in an attack at a border point between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials say.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said three Israeli civilians were killed in the shooting at the Allenby Bridge crossing.

The attacker approached the area from the Jordanian side in a truck, then got out and opened fire, the IDF said.

Security forces “eliminated” the gunman and the IDF checked the truck over for signs of explosives, a statement said, but later ruled that out.

Video footage showed the attacker walking to the terminal and firing his weapon three times before he was shot dead by Israeli security forces.

Jordan says it is investigating the incident, which happened in an Israeli-controlled area where Jordanian vehicles offload goods entering the West Bank. Both sides have shut the border point.

All of Israel’s land crossings with Jordan have also been closed after the incident, the Israel Airports Authority said.

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.”

The 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’s state-run news agency Petra said Israeli forces have heightened their military presence at the crossing.

The Palestinian health ministry says more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in a surge in violence in the West Bank since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

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.

Source: BBC