Three Israelis Killed in Terrorist Shooting Attack at Allenby Crossing

Amidst a general uptick in terrorist attacks and violence in Judea and Samaria, there was a shooting attack Sunday morning at the Allenby Crossing in the Jordan Valley. This crossing between Jordan and Israel is the site of regular traffic going both ways and it is a major artery of trade between the two countries. On Sunday morning, the driver of a truck coming through the crossing from the Jordanian side exited his vehicle, pulled a concealed weapon out and began shooting, managing to kill three Israeli men before he was neutralized by nearby Israeli security forces.

Magen David Adom paramedics arrived a short time later and attempted to administer treatments to the victims but were unable to save them.

Yohanan Shchori, 61, a resident of Ma'ale Efrayim, and Yuri Birenbaum, 65, a resident of Na'ama, have been identified as among the victims while the third victim's name has not been publicly released at press time.

The Jordanian government announced that it has also opened an investigation into the incident, and that the crossing has been temporarily closed.

The attack came amidst a sharp increase in terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria even as northern Israel is reeling from an increasing barrage of rockets, missiles and UAV's from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.