Gunman kills three Israelis at Jordan-West Bank crossing
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The news: Three Israeli civilians were killed at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank by a gunman from Jordan, Reuters reported citing Israeli officials.
The numbers: The attacker was a 39-year-old truck driver crossing from Jordan, who exited his vehicle and opened fire before being shot dead by Israeli security forces.
Israeli authorities identified the victims as Israeli forklift operators aged over 50. Jordan is investigating the incident, its state-run Petra News Agency reported.
The context: The incident is the first its kind since the 7 October Hamas assault on southern Israel. It has the potential to escalate tensions in a region already destabilised by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, with concerns over Iranian-backed efforts to stoke violence in the West Bank.
What they said: “A despicable terrorist murdered three of our civilians in cold blood,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet in televised remarks. “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology that is spearheaded up by Iran’s axis of evil.”
In a statement, Hamas praised the gunman as a hero, saying it reflected Arab opposition to Israeli “crimes” in Gaza.
The sources: Reuters, The Associated Press
