IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday visited the scene of the previous day’s deadly terror attack at the Allenby Crossing with Jordan, where he ordered the suspension of aid traffic to Gaza.
Zamir “ordered a halt to the passage of convoys from Jordan to Gaza until the investigation is completed and lessons are drawn,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
The visit followed a combined shooting and stabbing attack by a Jordanian assailant at the border terminal, in which two Israeli servicemen were killed. The IDF identified the victims as Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, a liaison officer in the military’s international cooperation unit, and Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, an officer in the Civil Administration’s Unit 309.
The terrorist, a Jordanian civilian contracted by his country’s armed forces to transport humanitarian aid, carried out the attack while his truck was awaiting inspection. He was shot and killed at the scene by security forces, the IDF said.
Israeli forces also launched searches in the Jericho area of the Jordan Valley.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the attack was “another result of the vile incitement in Jordan,” warning that terrorists were exploiting humanitarian channels to target Israelis. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel added that “radical Islamists stop at nothing—turning even aid meant for civilians into a weapon of war.”
The incident recalled a similar assault at the Allenby terminal just over a year ago, when a Jordanian gunman killed three Israelis. After that attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to strengthen security cooperation with Amman to maintain stability along Israel’s eastern border.
“This is a difficult event, and we will draw lessons from it,” Zamir said on Friday. “We will continue to strengthen all components of defense along the eastern border. IDF soldiers stand guard to enable the people of Israel to celebrate the Tishrei holidays in peace.”
