Jordanian Terrorist Kills Three Israelis in Attack at West Bank Border Crossing

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A gunman identified as a Jordanian national shot and killed three Israeli men on September 8 at the Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. The three — named as Yohanan Shchori, from the West Bank community of Ma’ale Efraim, Yuri Birnbaum, from the community of Na’ama, and Adrian Marcelo Podzamczer, from the city of Ariel — were killed by the gunman as the truck he was driving was being inspected at the bridge terminal by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and security guards from the Israel Airports Authority (IAA), which manages the crossing. The Times of Israel reported that “Israeli security sources” had named the terrorist as Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi, a 39-year-old Jordanian from the southern Jordan town of Udhruh, east of Petra. After al-Jazi began shooting, he was killed by IAA security guards who returned fire. The three victims, who worked as security guards, were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medics. “This was a very severe incident. We saw three men lying unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, with gunshot wounds on their bodies,” medic Yotam Tzur told Israel Hayom. “Together with an IDF medical team, we performed resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately, we had to pronounce them dead at the scene.”

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the assailant as a “despicable terrorist.” Extending his sympathies to the families of the victims, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said: “This horrific act reinforces our resolve to stand firm in the face of terror, and we will continue to fight with determination against terrorism and extremist elements which seek to undermine our security and the stability of the whole region.”

Expert Analysis

“This brutal attack is a further warning that the goal of Hamas and its Iranian backers is to turn the West Bank into another terrorist haven like Gaza. Given the proximity of the West Bank to major Israeli population centers, an escalation here serves only the interests of Iran and its proxies. It certainly does not serve the interests of Jordan, which will be dragged into an expanded conflict, or the United States, which at a minimum wants to avoid any further destabilization in the region.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO 

“The terrorist attack on the Allenby Bridge crossing illustrates the growing threat caused by terrorist groups seeking to exploit the October 7 Hamas atrocities to spread death and destruction on Israel’s borders. Iranian-backed groups have sought to smuggle weapons into the Kingdom of Jordan and use the country to threaten Israel. This has also included incitement and radicalization directed at the local population.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

Increased Iranian Threats to Israel via Jordan

Iran has been seeking to destabilize the Kingdom of Jordan and threaten Israel by smuggling weapons and materiel through Jordanian territory. “In the first stage, they smuggle weapons into the Kingdom of Jordan, mainly through the Syrian border, attempting to destabilize the regime and turn the Israel-Jordan border from a peaceful one into a volatile front,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a statement on social media on August 29. The Iran-backed terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad warmly praised Sunday’s attack. In a statement, Hamas called the killings a “natural response to the holocaust carried out by the Nazi Zionist enemy against our people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and its plans for the Judaization of the Al Aqsa mosque.”

Related Analysis

“Iran Attempts to Destabilize Jordan,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Urges West to Shore Up Jordan Against Iran,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF chief of staff visits Jordan Valley amid West Bank terror threats,” By Seth J. Frantzman