Israel returns body of Allenby crossing terrorist to Jordan
Israel returned the body of a Jordanian national who killed three Israelis in a terror attack at a border crossing, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday morning.
Israeli security forces at the Allenby border crossing with Jordan after a Jordanian national killed three Israelis on Sept. 8, 2024. Photo by Hanan Ayelet/TPS-IL
The terrorist, 39-year-old Maher Diab al-Jazi, shot and killed three Israelis at the Allenby border crossing, near Jericho, after approaching the cargo area in a truck from the Jordanian side. He exited the vehicle during an inspection and began firing at guards who returned fire, killing Al-Jazi. Following the attack, Israel temporarily closed its three other land crossings.
Israeli officials have not commented on the return of al-Jazi’s body.
The Allenby crossing is primarily used by Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to travel to Jordan. Israeli travellers use border crossings in Eilat and the northern Jordan Valley.
The victims were identified as Yohanan Shahouri, a 61-year-old father of six from Ma’ale Efraim, 65-year-old Yuri Birnbaum, of Moshav Naama near Jericho, and Adrian Marcelo Podmesser, a resident of Ariel. All three worked at the crossing.
Approximately 70% of the Jordanian population is Palestinian, and Hamas enjoys wide popularity. However, the terror group’s alignment with Iran makes its relations with Amman tense. Since the start of the Gaza war, a surge of anti-Israel protests has erupted across Jordan, especially in the capital Amman and other major cities.
Ordinary Jordanians celebrated the attack with fireworks and distributing sweets.
