A gunman from Jordan crossed the Allenby Bridge border into the West Bank and killed three Israeli civilians before being shot dead by security forces. This incident, the first of its kind along the Jordan border since a Hamas attack in southern Israel in October, has increased tensions in the region. The attack occurred in a commercial area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks unload cargo for the West Bank. Following the incident, Israel closed all three land border crossings with Jordan, leading to the detention of Jordanian truck drivers. Israel and Jordan have had a peace treaty since 1994 and cooperate closely on security matters. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the attack as a cold-blooded murder of civilians. A Hamas official praised the attack as a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, hinting at the possibility of more similar actions in the future. The Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is a crucial crossing point between Jordan and the West Bank, with goods from Jordan and the Gulf passing through to supply both the West Bank and Israeli markets.
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