Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan on Friday, 23 October 2026, killing seven people and wounding dozens more, according to Jordanian authorities and state media. The Jordan church shooting took place in Hamoud village in Karak governorate, about 180 kilometres south of Amman.
Director of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate Obaidullah Al-Maaytah told a press conference that seven people were confirmed dead, according to Independent Press. Twenty-seven of the wounded were receiving treatment in hospitals, he said, while other reports put the injured figure at 34 or 40.
Attack during a funeral service
Survivors described hearing an explosion as the funeral procession began, after which masked attackers entered the church and fired for several minutes, officials said. State-owned television Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were deployed to the church and pursued suspects who had exited a vehicle and opened fire.
Funeral attendee Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people were at the procession. One assailant carried a pistol, he said, and another carried a rifle. Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church at the time, witnesses said.
Footage broadcast by Jordanian state television reportedly showed armed men approaching the church. Witnesses described panic as mourners tried to escape the gunfire and seek shelter inside the building.
No group claims responsibility
No group immediately claimed responsibility, officials said. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told the press conference that the attack was unprecedented and was perpetrated by a group with no relationship to humanity, according to Independent Press.
Authorities had not publicly established the identities of the attackers or confirmed a motive, officials said. Investigators were examining whether the shooting was directed at particular individuals or at the wider gathering.
Karak, in southern Jordan, is home to a significant Christian community within the predominantly Muslim country, officials noted. Attacks of this nature are rare in Jordan, which made Friday’s funeral shooting especially shocking for residents.
Community leaders in Karak appealed for calm and unity after the attack, saying Christian and Muslim neighbours had lived side by side for generations, and they urged mourners to allow investigators time to establish the facts before drawing conclusions about who was responsible or why the funeral was targeted.
