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The Allenby crossing, near the West Bank city of Jericho, has been the scene of violence in the past.
A gunman killed three Israelis at a sensitive border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to the Israeli military.
The attack comes amid a surge of violence in the West Bank since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel prompted the war in Gaza, and at a delicate moment for the relationship between Israel and neighboring Jordan.
The gunman arrived at the Israeli-controlled part of the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan in a truck on Sunday and opened fire on Israeli security forces, the military said in a statement. The military did not identify the gunman, who was killed at the scene. The three victims were forklift operators who worked at the crossing, according to the Israel Airports Authority.
Jordan’s Interior Ministry said an initial investigation identified the gunman as Maher al-Jazi, a Jordanian citizen from the southern part of the desert kingdom. The early findings determined the gunman acted alone, the ministry said.
The crossing, near the West Bank city of Jericho, is the main pathway for most Palestinians in the occupied territory to travel abroad and for the transport of commercial goods between Jordan and the West Bank. It has also served as an entry point for some aid being delivered to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel described the gunman as “an abhorrent terrorist” and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
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