By Yoav Zitun

Copyright ynetnews

The IDF on Thursday released the names of two Israelis killed in a combined shooting and stabbing attack at the Allenby Bridge border crossing with Jordan. Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harosh, 68, from Jerusalem, and Sgt. Oran Hershko, 20, from Tel Mond, were killed when a Jordanian gunman opened fire and then stabbed them at the heavily guarded crossing. Harosh was an officer in the IDF Civil Administration’s Reserve Unit 309. Hershko served as a liaison to foreign forces in the IDF’s Tevel (International Cooperation) Brigade. Magen David Adom emergency responders found both men unconscious at the scene and declared them dead shortly after. According to the military, the terrorist, a Jordanian national, disembarked from an aid truck en route to Gaza and attacked the soldiers with a handgun and knife. He was shot and killed by Israeli security forces stationed at the crossing. The Allenby Bridge was shut down following the attack. A security official said the attacker had been contracted by the Jordanian military to transport the truck. He arrived from the Jordanian side of the crossing and launched the assault before the vehicle underwent inspection. Lt. Col. (res.) Harosh was serving in his role as an inspector of aid trucks entering Gaza from Jordan. At the time of the attack, his son—also a reservist—was present at the Allenby Bridge compound. He was unharmed but learned of his father’s death on site. Sgt. Hershko was also responsible for inspecting the trucks, identifying the drivers and escorting the vehicles to crossings along the Gaza border. Earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the two victims were IDF soldiers. In an interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu said, “We are at war, and the price is heavy. I know what it is to be part of a bereaved family. The only comfort you can find is that these heroes fell so this country can live. That is the truth — we live here because of them.” The Foreign Ministry issued an unusually harsh statement against Jordan, calling the attack “another result of the criminal incitement” in the neighboring kingdom. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said in response that authorities had opened an investigation into the “shooting incident,” which Amman said it “condemns and rejects.” “Israel allows humanitarian aid into Gaza, and terrorists exploit it to murder Israelis,” according to the statement. “Today, a Jordanian who was supposed to drive a humanitarian aid truck to Gaza murdered two Israelis at the Allenby Bridge crossing. This is the result of criminal incitement, the result of Hamas’ campaign of lies being echoed. This must stop.” Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said the attack was “a violation of the law and a threat to the kingdom’s interests and its ability to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.” Officials said they were monitoring the condition of Jordanian drivers who crossed the border to deliver aid on Thursday to ensure their immediate return to Jordan. Israeli security officials confirmed the suspension but said it was unrelated to Jordan’s inquiry. Typically, about 150 trucks arrive in Gaza each week from Jordan, out of some 1,800 to 2,000 trucks entering the Strip weekly. Most aid enters through Egypt and Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing. According to the IDF, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recommended halting aid shipments from Jordan until the investigation is complete and procedures for Jordanian drivers are revised. Security officials stressed that the Jordanian route makes up only a small part of the aid supply. “We cannot stop aid to Gaza because we are engaged in a major international effort,” one official said. “Aid will continue to flow from Egypt and other crossings.” The suspension has triggered debate in Jordan, where some social media users warned that civilians in Gaza could pay the price. “We fear every shooting incident outside aid convoys will be used as a flimsy pretext to block food and medicine,” wrote influencer Dahham al-Fawaz on X. “That means ordinary people will suffer for what happened at the crossing. We fear that their suffering will become a bargaining chip or a tool for collective punishment.” Others in Jordan urged caution, saying continued aid deliveries risk pulling the kingdom into conflict. “It’s so frustrating. For two years now they have been trying to drag us into war,” one netizen noted. “They want to lead and pretend to be heroes at the expense of our security and safety. Enough, leave us alone. Those who want to resist should leave and resist in another country.” Another online influencer added: “If sending aid to Gaza could escalate tensions or drag Jordan into a conflict with Israel, a permanent suspension of aid should be considered and the situation carefully reassessed to preserve stability and compliance with existing peace agreements.”