Lt. Col. (Res.) Yitzhak Harosh and Sgt. Oran Hershko were killed on Thursday in a shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing on the Jordanian Border.
Lt. Col. (Res.) Harosh, aged 68, from Jerusalem, was an officer in the Civil Administration's Reserve Unit 309. Sgt. Hershko, aged 20, from Tel Mond, was a foreign forces liaison NCO in the International Cooperation Division.
The security forces neutralized the terrorist at the scene.
An initial investigation found that the terrorist reached the border crossing from the Jordanian side, driving a truck that was meant to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It would appear the terrorist began to stab the two Israeli citizens after his gun jammed.
After the terrorist entered the Israeli side of the crossing, near the cargo terminal, he began carrying out the attack. He opened fire on people in the area even before his truck reached the checkpoint. The terrorist exited the truck, first shooting at the people there, then stabbing them and causing severe injuries. Only afterward did an Allenby Bridge security guard arrive and neutralize the attacker.
A security official stressed that the terrorist is a Jordanian civilian who was employed by the Jordanian military to transport aid trucks from Jordan to the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli official explained to the media that the aid trucks do not undergo inspection due to an agreement with the Jordanians.
Following the attack, IDF troops encircled Jericho.
Paramedic Bosmat Lubiner and MDA EMT Amit Weiss recounted: "We arrived at the scene with significant forces and joined security personnel at the checkpoint. They led us to two men who were unconscious with gunshot wounds as we administered initial medical treatment. We continued medical care, including resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately had to pronounce their deaths. The terrorist was neutralized by security forces."
Magen David Adom (MDA) initially reported two men who were unconscious at the scene. Medical teams are providing them with initial treatment. The two were later pronounced dead.
The IDF confirmed: "A report was received regarding a shooting near the Allenby Crossing. The details are under review."
A year ago, Yochanan Shchori, 61, Yuri Birnbaum, 65, and Adrian Marcelo Podsmesser, 57, were murdered in a shooting attack at the Allenby Crossing. The terrorist, who shot at them from close range using a pistol, was eliminated by security guards at the border crossing.
According to the preliminary investigation at the time, the terrorist arrived in a truck from the Jordanian side of the border with a firearm hidden in the truck. When he reached the Israeli workers at the crossing, he pulled out the weapon and started shooting.