Two shot dead in attack near West Bank-Jordan crossing, Israeli military says

Two people have been shot dead near a border crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, the Israeli military and medics say.

Israeli media say the victims were two Israeli men. The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said they were aged about 20 and 60 years old.

The Israeli military said “a terrorist arrived in a truck transporting humanitarian aid from Jordan, and opened fire”. MDA said it happened near the Allenby Crossing.

The attacker was killed by security forces at the scene, the military said.

The incident comes one year after three Israeli men were shot dead in the same place by an attacker who the Israeli military identified as a Jordanian truck driver.

The Allenby Bridge 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 and Israel maintain security, trade and diplomatic ties – though Jordan is a vocal critic of Israel’s actions towards Palestinians.

Dozens of trucks cross from Jordan daily to supply goods for markets in both the West Bank and Israel.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli authorities had closed the crossing following Thursday’s shooting.