Three individuals were fatally shot on Sunday at the Israeli-Jordanian border crossing near the West Bank, according to Israeli officials. The gunman drove a truck from the Jordanian side to the Allenby Bridge Crossing and initiated gunfire at Israeli security forces. In response, the assailant was killed in a shootout. The victims were identified as Israeli civilians, all in their 50s, by Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
There has been no immediate response from Jordan, a country that established peace with Israel in 1994 but frequently criticizes Israel’s policies towards Palestinians. The Allenby crossing is primarily utilized by Israelis, Palestinians, and international tourists.
Violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank has escalated following an attack by Hamas on October 7, stemming from Gaza. Israel has conducted numerous military operations in densely inhabited Palestinian areas, resulting in increased settler violence and attacks by Palestinians on Israelis.
Concurrently, in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike early Sunday led to the deaths of five individuals, including two women, two children, and a senior official from the Civil Defense, an organization working under the Hamas-led government. The strike was aimed at the home of the Civil Defense’s deputy director in north Gaza, located in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing war over the past eleven months has caused the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The conflict has resulted in significant destruction and the displacement of approximately 90% of Gaza’s population.
Hamas militants carried out an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals, primarily civilians, and the abduction of 250 others. While most hostages were released during a ceasefire in November, about 100 individuals remain captive in Gaza, with an estimated third believed to have died.
Efforts to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of the remaining hostages by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have faced repeated hurdles and delays. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported at least 691 Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank since the initiation of the conflict, including militants, bystanders, and protestors.
Following the 1967 Mideast war, Israel gained control of the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem, territories sought by Palestinians for a future state. While Israel withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza in 2005, it maintained authority over its airspace, coastline, and crucial land crossings. Together with Egypt, Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas’ rise to power in 2007.
