Three killed in attack at West Bank-Jordan border, Israel says

Three people have been killed in an attack at the border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials say.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said three Israeli civilians were killed in the shooting at the Allenby Bridge crossing.

The attacker approached the area from the Jordanian side in a truck, then got out and opened fire, the IDF said.

Security forces “eliminated” the gunman and the IDF is checking the truck over for signs of explosives, a statement said.

Video footage showed the attacker walking to the terminal and firing his weapon three times before he was shot dead by Israeli security forces.

Medics said the three killed are men in their 50s, according to Israeli media.

Jordan says it has closed its side of the border and is investigating the incident, which happened in an Israeli-controlled area where Jordanian vehicles offload goods entering the West Bank.

All of Israel’s land crossings with Jordan have also been closed after the incident, the Israel Airports Authority said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “hard day” and sent his condolences to the victims’ families at the start of a cabinet meeting.

The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, lies about halfway between Amman and Jerusalem and is the only official crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan.

It is also the only entry point to the West Bank that does not go through Israel.

Jordan’s state-run news agency Petra said Israeli forces have heightened their military presence at the crossing.

The Palestinian health ministry says more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in a surge in violence in the West Bank since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Last week, Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin city and its refugee camp – an area in the West Bank – after a major nine-day operation there. The area is a stronghold of militants and has a civilian population of about 60,000.

Israel says it is trying to stem deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Israel, and acting against terrorism.