3 Israelis killed in shooting attack at Jordan border

ANKARA

Three Israelis were killed in a shooting attack at the border with Jordan on Sunday, according to Israeli media.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said a truck driver opened fire at King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency service said three men were critically injured in the attack before they were pronounced dead.

The alleged attacker was shot dead, Haaretz newspaper said.

The Israeli army said the attacker arrived from Jordan, disembarked, and opened fire on guards at the crossing.

The army said it is investigating the possibility that the truck was rigged with explosives as several drivers and workers at the crossing were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Israel’s Army Radio said.

Israeli and Jordanian authorities have jointly closed the crossing following the shooting attack, while roads leading to the nearby city of Jericho in the West Bank were sealed off, according to Israeli media.

Jordan’s Interior Ministry launched an investigation into the shooting attack at the crossing.

The King Hussein (Allenby) crossing is one of three border terminals between Jordan and Israel in addition to the Sheikh Hussein Bridge and the Wadi Araba crossing.

Sunday’s attack came amid rising tensions in the occupied West Bank as Israel pressed ahead with its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since last Oct. 7.

At least 692 individuals have since been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a significant ruling by the International Court of Justice on July 19, which declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi