A gunman has shot dead three Israeli civilians in an attack near the border crossing between Jordan and the Occupied West Bank, authorities have said.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said security forces had killed the attacker at the scene of the shooting at the Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge.
“A terrorist approached the area of the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a truck, exited the truck, and opened fire at the Israeli security forces operating at the bridge,” the Israeli military said.
“The terrorist was eliminated by the security forces, three Israeli civilians were pronounced dead as a result of the attack.”
The attacker was a 39-year-old truck driver who came from the influential Huwaitat tribe in southern Jordan, according to family members.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “This is a difficult day. A loathsome terrorist murdered in cold blood three of our civilians.”
The Israeli manager of the crossing said three workers were shot dead at close range by a driver crossing from Jordan.
Medics said the three were in their fifties. Magen David Adom ambulance service told Israeli media it had treated the men but had to declare them dead at the scene.
Jordan said it had closed the bridge crossing with the West Bank as it investigated the incident, a Jordanian official told Reuters.
A border official from the country said at least two dozen Jordanian truck drivers had been detained by Israel’s military for interrogation.
The incident occurred in a commercial cargo area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks offload cargo entering the occupied West Bank from the kingdom.
Israel has closed all three of its land border crossings with Jordan, the Israel Airports Authority said.
The IDF said it suspected that the truck in which the gunman arrived could be rigged with explosives, and sappers had been sent to investigate.
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have close security ties.
A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, praised the attack, adding: “We expect many more similar actions.”
