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The Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud [AFP]<\/p>\nPublished On 23 Oct 202623 Oct 2026<\/p>\n
At least seven people have been killed, and 34 others wounded, in an attack in Jordan\u2019s Karak governorate that saw gunmen open fire during a funeral at a church.<\/p>\n
Director of Jordan\u2019s Public Security Directorate Obaidullah Al-Maaytah told a press conference on Friday that seven people are confirmed dead after the assault on a Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud.<\/p>\n
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\u2060Twenty-seven of the \u2060wounded were receiving treatment in hospitals, he said.<\/p>\n
The search for the gunmen is ongoing, Al-Maaytah added, pledging that \u201cthe perpetrators will be caught and our national unity will not be hit\u201d.<\/p>\n
Survivors said they heard an explosion when the funeral procession started, after which masked attackers broke into the church and began shooting for several minutes.<\/p>\n
State-owned television station Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were deployed to the church and were pursuing two suspects, who got out of a vehicle and opened fire.<\/p>\n
Funeral attendee Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people were at the procession. One of the assailants carried a pistol, he said, and the other carried a rifle.<\/p>\n
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n
The Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud [AFP]<\/p>\n
Without naming a specific group, Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told the press conference that the \u201cterrorist\u201d attack was \u201cunprecedented\u201d and was perpetrated by a group with \u201cno relationship to humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis country will never be dragged into terrorism and violence,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cJordanians have never seen something like this before\u201d.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II vowed authorities would confront the attackers \u201cwith the harshest penalties\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against anyone who overreaches against this country,\u201d he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry meanwhile condemned what it described as \u201cterrorist and criminal acts\u201d, and said it rejected all forms of violence \u201cthat aim to undermine security and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also strongly condemned the attack, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. \u201cIt goes without saying that an attack not only on a place of worship but during a funeral procession is especially heinous,\u201d Dujarric told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n
Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan. Christians, numbering about 300,000 people, make up a minority of Jordan\u2019s population of roughly 11.5 million, though the country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christians from around the world.<\/p>\n
Previous attacks<\/p>\n
This is not the first time that Karak has come under attack.<\/p>\n