Nine people are dead and forty others wounded after three gunmen opened fire during a crowded funeral at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hammoud, in Jordan’s Karak governorate. Jordanian authorities confirmed the death toll on Saturday following the attack on the country’s Christian minority.
The violence erupted on Friday while mourners gathered. According to Reuters, one survivor recounted watching her cousin die directly before her eyes as panic swept through the church. Footage verified by Reuters and broadcast on state-owned Al-Mamlaka television showed three assailants firing from a pavement, sheltering behind trees and a low wall before rushing the church entrance. A video, aired on Jordan’s state-owned Al-Mamlaka television station and appearing to originate from a security camera on the church, captured three individuals firing at it from a pavement while hiding behind trees and a low wall before rushing toward the church entrance.
🇯🇴 I strongly condemn the attack on a church today (23/10) in the region of Karak in Jordan. Violence against civilians is never justified.I would like to express my sincere condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims. Belgium stands together with the people of…
Interior Ministry Cites Blind Extremism and Identifies Ideological Motives
Jordanian officials moved swiftly to categorize the shooting as a targeted act of terror driven by radical ideology. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh stated that extremists carried out the assault, though he noted it remained too early to determine whether the gunmen maintained direct ties to organized militant networks inside or outside the kingdom. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the bloodshed on X, writing that the attack stemmed from a terrorist ideology and blind extremism that the state will refuse to accommodate.
Public Security Directorate head Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah reported that security forces were actively hunting the perpetrators. Health Minister figures confirmed that forty individuals sustained injuries during the gunfire, with many receiving ongoing treatment in area hospitals. The United States embassy in Amman announced heightened security protocols across local malls, foreign embassies, and other high-traffic locations.
USG @MiguelMoratinos strongly condemns the terrorist attack targeting a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, which claimed innocent lives and injured many others.Full statement ⬇️https://t.co/e73onutQK9
Dozens of people were present when the gunmen opened fire for several minutes, with witnesses describing how the gunfire was indiscriminate and left individuals uncertain where a bullet might land. Theodoros Soueiss noted that a sense of panic took hold among those present, while Ihab Ammareen recounted seeing bloodied people collapse on the floor following the attack.
Jerusalem Patriarchate Affirms Indigenous Roots Amid Shared National Mourning
The statement emphasized that the violence aimed at the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George will fail to displace Christian communities or rupture relations with the Hashemite leadership. The Patriarchate condemned the vile, cowardly, and bloody act that directly struck the community and claimed the lives of martyrs at the church, while expressing full confidence in security services possessing the necessary professionalism and swiftness to bring the terrorist criminals to justice. The statement added that far from undermining national unity, the act only strengthens the bond between Christians and Muslims, uniting them more firmly around the Hashemite leadership.
“We are the children of this land, its very roots, and partners in its history, its present, and its future,” the Patriarchate stated, asserting that the attack contradicts the moderate Islamic traditions practiced throughout Jordanian society. International condemnation followed swiftly, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres denouncing the massacre.
| Casualty Metric | Reported Figure | Official Status |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed Fatalities | 9 Deaths | Verified |
| Wounded Individuals | 40 Injured | Receiving Hospital Treatment |
The tragedy reveals rare vulnerabilities in a nation that has largely maintained stability despite wider regional turmoil. As security forces maintain heightened alert levels across Amman and Karak, investigators continue tracing the origins of an assault that has left a profound mark on Jordan’s Christian community.
The tragic and heart-breaking attack in Jordan is especially heinous as it was carried out in a church, at a church service, during a funeral. Executing individuals and families gathered in mourning and supporting one another in mourning is unfathomable.Places of worship must…
More on Karak
Seven people have died and 34 have been injured after gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a church in Jordan.It took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, about 110 miles south of Amman.Sky's @AdamParsons reports.Read more: https://t.co/B3Cloa3hfl pic.twitter.com/ZUxS5Gsdor
