3 Israelis killed in shooting attack at Allenby Bridge crossing on Jordanian border; terrorist shot dead

Crossing is used to transport humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza

Read this article in:

Three Israeli workers were killed in a shooting attack at the Allenby Bridge crossing on the border between Israel and Jordan on Sunday morning.

According to a preliminary IDF investigation, the shooter was a Jordanian truck driver who hid a weapon in his vehicle and began firing once he reached the Israeli side of the crossing. Security guards shot the terrorist, killing him.

The IDF released an initial statement that read: “A short while ago 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.”

Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services, which arrived at the scene shortly after the attack, pronounced the three Israeli men dead at the scene.

The names of two of the men killed in the shooting attack were later cleared for publication.

Yochanan Schori (61) from Ma'ale Ephraim, was a father of six. The second victim in the attack this morning at the Allenby Crossing was Yuri Birnbaum (65) from Naama.

The name of the third victim had not been released at the time of publication.

Police at the scene where three Israelis were killed in a terror shooting attack at Allenby bridge, a crossing between West Bank and Jordan Sept. 8, 2024. (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Magen David Adom paramedics arrive to the scene of the terror attack, Sept. 8, 2024 (Photo: MDA)

The IDF troops that arrived at the scene searched the area to rule out the presence of another terrorist.

Shortly after the attack, Jordanian authorities announced their own investigation into the incident.

A Jordanian source told Al Jazeera that the crossing would be closed from both directions until further notice.

According to reports in Jordanian news, Abdulsalam Khaled Saleem Al-Zubi, who carried out the Allenby crossing attack, came from the city of Irbid and formerly served as a soldier in the Jordanian army.

The Allenby crossing is also used to transfer humanitarian aid from Jordan to the Gaza Strip.

MDA emergency medic, Yotam Tzur, who works at the crossing, said: "This is a very serious incident, we saw three men lying unconscious without a pulse and without breathing with gunshot wounds to their bodies. Together with an IDF medical force, we performed CPR on them, after which unfortunately we had to pronounce them dead on the spot.”

According to Israeli news sites, IDF soldiers closed off the city of Jericho following the attack.

In a statement, former Yesha Council Chairman David Elhayani, said: “We know that this is a Jordanian truck driver who got out of the truck, pulled out a gun, finished the first magazine and loaded a second one. The result is very difficult with three murders. We know that Jordan has an Arab population originating in the West Bank that supports Hamas. It also encourages the heinous murder of October 7.”