Gunmen launched an attack during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 34, authorities said. The shooting happened at St. George’s Church in Hamoud, a village in the southern Karak governorate.
Security forces launched a search for the attackers, while officials said they had not established a motive or identified any group responsible. Witness William Hilseh identified the deceased as Misal Hilseh, known as Um Laith.
Witnesses told Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka television that armed men arrived in a vehicle and fired for several minutes. Some initially mistook the gunshots for explosions. One witness estimated that 150 to 200 people were inside or near the church at the time.
Footage broadcast by Al-Mamlaka showed three armed people firing from a sidewalk, using trees and a low wall for cover before moving toward the church entrance. Reuters verified the location seen in the footage. Earlier witness accounts described two attackers, leaving the total number involved unclear.
Police hunt gunmen after attack on a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said officers received word of the shooting shortly after 2 p.m. (local time). Emergency crews transferred victims to nearby hospitals, including Prince Ali Military Hospital. At an evening briefing, public security chief Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah said 27 of the wounded remained under medical care.
BREAKING:
7 Christians killed in a church in Jordan after 2 gunmen attack a funeral.
Security forces are chasing the attackers behind what seems to be an Islamist terror attack.#News #Jordan @visegrad24 pic.twitter.com/kB8eeNAyfZ
— Unbiased News Unfiltered (@unbiasednewsuk) October 23, 2026
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya called the shooting an act of terrorism carried out by extremists but said investigators could not yet say whether the attackers belonged to an organization inside Jordan or abroad. No group had claimed responsibility.
King Abdullah II condemned the killings, promised that those responsible would face “the harshest penalties” and visited people wounded in the attack. Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan convened a security meeting in Karak as authorities pursued the gunmen.
The prosecutor general also restricted publication of investigative material, with an exemption for official government media, while police warned against spreading unverified claims.
Church leaders call for unity after Karak funeral killings
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem identified the church as St. George’s and condemned the killings. Its leaders urged the community to remain united and expressed confidence that police would bring the perpetrators to justice. Jordan’s grand mufti also condemned the shooting, saying Christian and Muslim lives deserved equal protection.
The attack drew condemnation from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries. Karak has a long-established Christian minority within overwhelmingly Muslim Jordan.
The governorate suffered another deadly assault in 2016, when gunmen attacked police and other targets, including a castle, killing 10 people. Authorities have not reported any connection between that attack and Friday’s shooting. The identities of Friday’s attackers and the reason for targeting the funeral remained unknown.
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