Two people were shot dead Thursday at the Allenby Bridge crossing, an Israeli-run border terminal between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, officials said.
The Israeli military described the incident as a “militant attack,” saying the assailant arrived in a truck carrying humanitarian aid before opening fire. Emergency service Magen David Adom reported that the victims were men aged about 60 and 20. The attacker was “neutralized,” according to the military, though no further details were released.
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The crossing — also known as the King Hussein Bridge — is a main route for Palestinians and tourists traveling between Jordan and the West Bank. It was closed following the shooting.
The site has been targeted before: in September 2024, a retired Jordanian soldier killed three Israelis there in an assault linked to the Israel-Hamas war. Violence across the West Bank has escalated since Hamas’ October 2023 attack in southern Israel, which sparked the current conflict in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel’s offensive in Gaza City has displaced nearly 250,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations, with hundreds of thousands still sheltering in the devastated city.
Culture Minister Cuts Film Award Funding
In a separate development, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar said he is suspending state funding for the Ophir Awards after this year’s winner, The Sea — a drama about a Palestinian boy sneaking into Israel to see the Mediterranean — drew criticism for its portrayal of soldiers. The film is Israel’s submission for the next Oscars.
Zohar, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, called the ceremony “a disgrace” and said taxpayers should not bankroll an event he claims insults Israeli troops.
Army to Indict Ex-Officer Over Lebanon Ambush
Also Thursday, the Israeli military said it intends to indict former Col. Yoav Yarom over the deaths of Zeev Erlich, 70, and soldier Gur Kehati, 20, who were killed in a Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon last November.
Yarom, then chief of staff of the Golani Brigade, resigned after the incident. Prosecutors will decide on charges following a pre-indictment hearing, the army said.