2024 Neot HaKikar shooting
On 18 October 2024, at least two militants infiltrated Israel from Jordan in the Neot HaKikar area, a moshav located in the Arabah valley just south of the Dead Sea. The militants ambushed Israeli troops and opened fire on them, wounding two of them moderately. Israeli troops killed two of the militants during a firefight, with a third attacker probably escaping. Residents of Neot HaKikar were instructed to remain indoors as the troops and police searched for the third militant.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan identified the two deceased attackers, Hussam Abu Ghazaleh and Amer Qawoos, as members of their group. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas praised the attack, that occurred just a few hours after Israeli troops killed their leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Rafah.
Background
Relations between Israel and Jordan, which signed a peace treaty in 1994, have been tense since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, with Jordan having recalled its ambassador to Israel. Nonetheless, in some respects, security cooperation remained close; in April 2024, Jordan helped Israel in shooting down Iranian missiles launched against Israel.The Israeli-Jordanian border has remained largely calm since the peace treaty, experiencing only limited incidents like the one on September 8, 2024, a month before the Neot HaKikar attack, when a Jordanian truck driver carried out a shooting attack at the Allenby Bridge, a border terminal between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing three Israeli civilians employed at the terminal. The perpetrator was shot and killed by Israeli security forces. Jordan identified the attacker as one of its citizens, named Maher Al-Jazy, while condemning attacks against civilians and calling for de-escalation. On the streets in Jordan, some citizens gathered to celebrate the attack, amid widespread anger over the war.