TEHRAN- The weekend’s shooting operation at a border point between Jordan and the occupied West Bank that claimed the lives of three Israelis has once again highlighted deep resentment against the Tel Aviv regime.      

On Sunday, a Jordanian truck driver killed three Israeli border guards at the Allenby Bridge crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge. 

The shooter was identified as Maher Dyab Hussein al-Jazi, a resident of the Husseiniya area in Jordan’s southern Ma’an governorate.

According to the Israeli army, he approached the Allenby Bridge crossing from the Jordanian side in a truck then got out and opened fire.

The 39-year-old, who was shot dead by Israeli forces, carried out the martyrdom operation in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel’s genocidal war on the territory. 

In a hand-written will, he also urged Arab countries not to turn a blind eye to the sufferings of Palestinians.

“Dear my parents; please forgive me. I will become a martyr by God's will and I thank God for this. I ask you to remember the action I took so that it may become eternal and motivate the children of the Arab nation, especially the children of Jordan, to stand up against the Zionist occupiers who commit the most heinous crimes against our brothers, children and women in Gaza and Palestine. My Arab brothers; If you have no religion, at least have zeal and pride,” he stated in his will.

The attack marks the first of its kind along the border with Jordan since the start of the Gaza war on October 7.

Palestinian resistance groups hailed the operation. Hamas described it as a "natural response" to the Israeli onslaught which has killed 41,000 Palestinians over the past 11 months. 

Jordanians also held rallies in support of the operation. People marched in the capital Amman praising the act as “heroic”, likening it to an earthquake in Israel.

Jordanian people are now honoring al-Jazi and his family as national heroes. 

Tel Aviv and Amman signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have close security ties. But Jordanians like many other people in the Arab world are opposed to the normalization of ties with the regime. 

Over the past months, Jordanians have held rallies calling on their government to cut ties with Israel amid its war of genocide in Gaza. 

Many countries around the world have also seen anti-Israeli protests against the backdrop of the regime’s barbarism in the Palestinian territory. 

These demonstrations are indicative of growing anti-Israeli sentiments around the world, in particular in Islamic countries. 

Similar selfless acts like the one carried out by al-Jazi have been performed over the past months. 

Reminiscent of Turkish martyr 

In late April, Israeli troops killed a Turkish national in Jerusalem (Al-Quds). Israeli police said 34-year-old Hasan Saklanan was shot dead after he stabbed an officer. 

Police officials noted that the Turkish man rushed at a police cop near the Herod’s Gate entrance and stabbed the officer in the upper body and injured him. 

Israeli sources said at that time that Saklanan had entered Israel legally as a visitor, via the Jordan River Crossing with Jordan.

He became the first Turkish martyr who sacrificed his life in the wake of the Gaza genocide to express solidarity with Palestinians amid frequent stabbing attacks against Israeli forces in the West Bank. 

The US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza also hit the headlines back in February in the wake of a tragic incident. 

Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell

An active-duty member of the American Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. in late February this year to protest against his country’s backing of Israel's brutal war on the enclave.  

Video on social media showed Aaron Bushnell walking up to the driveway of the Israeli embassy, setting his phone down on the ground, and pouring an unknown liquid from a bottle over himself. He then ignited it while yelling "Free Palestine" repeatedly.

The flames consumed Aaron’s body and he finally fell to the ground. 

The 25-year-old officer was taken to hospital in a critical condition but he succumbed to his injuries.

Standing up to apartheid 

The courage to act selflessly against Israel’s brutalities is a display of strength and resilience. 

Those like Maher Dyab Hussein al-Jazi, Hasan Saklanan and Aaron Bushnell will go down in history as heroes who challenged the Israeli fascist and apartheid regime. 

Their names will resonate through the ages and their stories will be told and retold, inspiring generations to come to always stand for what is right, even when the world seems to have gone astray.