Israel kept the main border crossing for Palestinians to leave the Israeli-occupied West Bank closed on Sunday, days after a Jordanian truck driver armed with a gun and a knife killed two Israeli soldiers there.
The Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the West Bank has been closed since the attack on Thursday, making it nearly impossible for Palestinians to leave or enter the territory. In addition to serving as the primary gateway for most Palestinians in the West Bank to travel abroad, the crossing is also the main route for moving commercial goods between Jordan and the West Bank.
The assailant in Thursday’s attack had arrived at the crossing from Jordan in a truck carrying humanitarian aid intended for Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
Jordan condemned the attack and said it was investigating.
In response to the attack, Israel closed the crossing to travelers and trucks alike. The Israeli military said in a statement that it advised blocking the transfer of further humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza until Jordan had finished its investigation and made changes to its security procedures.
The Israeli Airports Authority, which oversees the country’s crossings, did not respond to a request for comment on why the Allenby Bridge crossing was still closed on Sunday. It was not immediately clear when it would reopen.
For Hadeel Abu Humeid, the closure was a personal heartbreak. She had been waiting on Friday for her in-laws to return home to the West Bank before the birth of her child. But with the bridge closed, she said, it is unclear when they will be allowed to come back.
“They had to turn back. The money they lost is nothing compared to the uncertainty of not knowing when, or if, they’ll be able to return,” said Ms. Abu Humeid. “I want my baby to be born among family, not amid this constant sense of disruption.”
Since the Hamas-led October 2023 attack that ignited the war in Gaza, the Israeli military has sharply stepped up its raids in the West Bank, parts of which are administered by the internationally backed Palestinian Authority.
More than 900 Palestinians have been killed in the wide-ranging Israeli operations in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
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