3 Israelis killed in Palestinian West Bank-Jordan border shooting

Last Updated on September 9, 2024 9:06 am

Three Israelis were killed by a gunman at a crossing between the Palestinian West Bank and Jordanian border. British media BBC reported that the incident happened on Sunday (September 8).

The deceased are Yohanan Shori (31), Yuri Birnbaum (65), and Adrian Marcelo Podzamzar.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the attacker arrived at the Allenby Bridge crossing in a truck from the Jordanian city of Al-Karameh on Sunday morning. Then he fired at the border guards. Israeli security forces later shot and killed the gunman. It is being investigated whether there was any explosive in that truck.

After the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a difficult day” for Israel. At the start of the Cabinet meeting, he expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. However, Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack.

An Israeli official told AFP that the three dead were Israeli security guards. But they are not members of Israel’s army or police.

A Jordanian official told Reuters that at least 12 Jordanian truck drivers were detained by the Israeli army for questioning at the time of the incident. And after the incident, all border crossings between Israel and Jordan have been closed, according to the Israeli Airport Authority.

Jordan said they are investigating the incident. The incident took place in an area controlled by Israel, where Jordanian trucks unload goods. After this incident, the crossing was closed from both directions.

Note that Allenby Bridge Crossing is also known as Badsha Hussain Bridge. It is the only legal crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. It is also the only route from Jordan to the West Bank that does not pass through Israel.