3 Israelis shot dead at West Bank-Jordan border, Netanyahu calls gunman 'abhorrent terrorist'

Sept. 9, 2024, 1:18 a.m.

Read time estimation: 3 minutes.

  2

A Jordanian truck driver carried out a shooting attack at a border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, tragically killing three Israeli security personnel. The incident occurred on Sunday at the Allenby Bridge crossing over the Jordan River, also known as the King Hussein Bridge. This attack came just hours after Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza claimed the life of a senior aid official and two women and two children from his family. This information is based on reports from The Times of Israel.

Advertisement According to a statement released by the Israeli military, an armed assailant approached the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a truck. After exiting the vehicle, the attacker opened fire on Israeli security personnel stationed at the bridge. The military reported that the attacker was neutralized by security forces. Regrettably, three Israeli civilians lost their lives as a result of the attack.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the incident and noted that the country has opened an investigation into the matter. “Jordan’s firm position rejecting and condemning violence and targeting civilians for any reason,” the ministry said in a statement.

About the culprit

Following preliminary inquiries, Jordanian authorities stated that investigations have thus far concluded that the attack was carried out by a “lone assailant”. Officials from both sides have closed the border crossing.

Initial investigations revealed that the shooter was a 39-year-old truck driver hailing from the influential Huwaitat tribe in southern Jordan. The Israeli military reported that the shooting occurred at close range within a commercial zone of the border crossing. This area serves as a hub for trucks from Jordan and the Gulf to offload goods for onward transportation to the occupied West Bank and Israel.

The border where the shooting incident occurred has largely remained peaceful since the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994. Following the incident, Israel announced the closure of all three of its land border crossings with Jordan.

Advertisement The Israeli army has also reportedly cordoned off the West Bank city of Jericho, which is the nearest to the Allenby Bridge crossing, in case other would-be attackers had already entered. Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the gunman “an abhorrent terrorist”.

In a statement delivered at the start of a cabinet meeting, the official declared, “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology led by Iran’s axis of evil.” Since the outbreak of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, there has been a significant surge in violence in the West Bank. The violence encompasses Israeli army raids on Palestinian towns coupled with escalating attacks by Israeli settlers.

Advertisement With inputs from agencies.