AMMAN:

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 October 7, when Palestinian group Hamas carried out an assault on southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza that has since escalated throughout 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, lies 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, and three Israeli civilians were pronounced 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 manager of the crossing said three workers were shot dead at close range by the driver crossing from Jordan.

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.

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Two people have been shot and seriously wounded near the border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Two people have been shot and seriously wounded near the border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Israeli first responders said on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Israeli police said the shooter was killed, without providing further details. The border crossing is used by Palestinians, Israelis, and international tourists. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said two people were in serious condition.

The Israeli-occupied West Bank has seen a surge of violence since Hamas’ Oct 7 attack out of Gaza triggered the war there. Israel has launched near-daily military arrest raids into dense Palestinian residential areas, and there has also been a rise in settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis.