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A gunman shot and killed three Israelis at the border crossing between Jordan and the occupied West Bank. This is the first shooting incident on this border since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza started last year.
The gunman drove a truck from the Jordanian side to the Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, and then opened fire on Israeli forces at the crossing. The three Israeli men who were killed were in their 50s, and the gunman was killed by Israeli forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, and Israel’s airports authority closed the Allenby Bridge and land crossings between Israel and Jordan. Israeli forces were inspecting the truck for explosives, while Jordan’s interior ministry started an investigation.
The northern and southern entrances to Jericho, a nearby West Bank city, were also closed by Israeli forces for vehicle checks. Jordan was the second Arab country to make diplomatic ties with Israel in 1994.
The high death toll of Palestinians in Gaza from the conflict with Israel has strained relations between the two countries. Jordan’s King Abdullah has criticized Hamas’s attack on Israel but also condemned Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza.
Tensions in the West Bank have increased since the war in Gaza began, leading Israeli forces to conduct a major operation in the area last week.
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