Three Israeli border guards 'murdered' at West Bank, Jordan crossing

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Three Israeli border guards were shot dead by a Jordanian truck driver at the Allenby Crossing on the border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Emergency Services said Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces described the shooting as a terror attack and is investigating whether the truck was rigged with explosives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an "abhorrent terrorist murdered" the guards.

Israeli security sources told the Times of Israel the truck driver was Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi, 39, a Jordanian national from the southern Jordan town of Udhruh, east of Petra. Military and Israel Airports Authority officials said the gunman got out of the truck during an inspection at the terminal and opened fire at several of the crossing's workers.

Security guards returned fire at the terrorist, killing him.

The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is the West Bank's sole crossing with Jordan.

Two other crossings between Israel and Jordan -- Rabin and Jordan River -- were closed after the attack, the Israel Airports Authority said. Palestinians can only use the Allenby Bridge Crossing to enter Jordan from the West Bank, while Israelis generally use the Rabin and Jordan River crossings.

The three victims were identified as: Yohanan Shchori, 61, a father of six from the West Bank settlement of Ma'ale Efraim; Yuri Birnbaum, 65, from the settlement of Na'ama; and Adrian Marcelo Podzamczer, from the settlement city of Ariel.

During the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem , Netanyahu said: "We are surrounded by a murderous ideology led by Iran's axis of evil. In recent days, abhorrent terrorists murdered six of our hostages and three Israel Police officers in cold blood. The murderers do not differentiate between us. They want to murder us all, right and left, secular and religious, Jews and non-Jews, until the last one."

He added: "We will stand together. We will wield the sword of David together and with G-d's help, we will win."

Hamas hailed the attacker as "one of Jordan's brave men."

In a statement, it said that the attack was a "natural response to the holocaust carried out by the Nazi Zionist enemy against our people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and its plans for the Judaization of the Al Aqsa mosque."

The terror group also called on people in Arab and Muslim countries to rise up in support of Palestinians.

Two weeks ago Israel's military carried out raids, bulldozing highways and launching airstrikes in multiple parts of the occupied West Bank.

Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, troops have arrested some 5,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,000 affiliated with Hamas.

More than 670 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since then, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry. IDF said most of of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.

Also, 32 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six security forces members were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.

Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, has been highly critical of Israel's military operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

In northern Israel , IDF said around 50 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward Israel by Hezbollah. There were no casualties.

Hezbollah said it had bombarded Kiryat Shmona "in response to the enemy attacks... and particularly the attack" that killed the emergency workers in the Lebanese village of Froun."