Gaza aid truck driver kills two Israelis at Allenby Bridge border crossing

Two Israelis were killed Thursday when a Jordanian driver transporting humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip opened fire at the Allenby Bridge crossing, the West Bank's entry point that passes through Jordan, Israeli authorities said. The attack unfolded at a checkpoint as the truck was being inspected, and the gunman fired on the victims before security forces shot him dead, the Israeli military said.

The two victims were described as a man in his 20s and a man in his 60s, who died at the scene. The gunman stepped from his vehicle at the checkpoint as the vehicle was being inspected and fired on the victims, according to police and military accounts. Security forces returned fire and killed the gunman. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, and the Israeli military said it was conducting searches in the area around Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

The crossing at Allenby Bridge is the only entry point to the West Bank that does not travel through Israel, a factor that underscores the logistical and security sensitivities in the region. Officials said the truck involved was part of humanitarian aid shipments crossing from Jordan into the West Bank, and that the gunman was a Jordanian national who was transporting aid for Gaza at the time of the attack.

The incident comes a little more than a year after a similar shooting at the same crossing, when a 39-year-old Jordanian driver opened fire and killed three Israeli civilians. Authorities did not provide a broader motive for the 2024 incident, and there was no immediate information on whether the two events were connected.

Jordan, a key partner of Israel and a US ally, has historically supported security cooperation with Jerusalem, while also hosting a significant role in humanitarian relief to Gaza. Tensions have remained in the region amid the Gaza war and related bombings in the broader Middle East, including fallout from conflicts involving Gulf states.

According to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Jordan has facilitated nearly 10,000 trucks of aid into Gaza since the start of the war, roughly 7% of total deliveries. The aid flow underscores Jordan’s balancing act between security concerns and humanitarian access as the conflict continues.

Security officials in Jordan have not immediately commented on Thursday’s attack. The broader incident adds to a string of security episodes at crossings linking Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan that authorities say are closely monitored given the volatile regional backdrop. The investigation into the shooting continues, with authorities examining vehicle records, surveillance footage, and potential accomplices as they determine the gunman’s full motives and any broader implications for cross-border aid operations.