34 casualties in Jordan church attack
Shafaq News- Amman
Six people were killed and 28 others injured on Friday in an armed attack targeting a church in Hamoud village in Jordan’s southern Karak Governorate, the Jordanian Public Security Directorate confirmed, adding that investigations into the attack were ongoing.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the terrorist attack in Karak would be met with the “harshest retaliation.”
The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity. All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate, and nothing stands between them. Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation
— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) October 23, 2026
The Jordanian government announced that Prime Minister Jafar Hassan would chair a security meeting at the Karak Governorate building on Friday, attended by ministers and relevant officials, to follow up on the response by security and other authorities to what it described as a “heinous terrorist crime.”
A Jordanian official source said the perpetrators had an extremist religious background, describing their ideology as takfiri, a term used for those who declare other Muslims to be apostates. The source provided no further details.
رئيس الوزراء يترأس اليوم في مبنى محافظة الكرك اجتماعا للمجلس الأمني يحضره كافة الوزراء والمسؤولين المعنيين لمتابعة أعمال كافة الأجهزة المعنية للتعامل مع الجريمة الارهابية النكراء.
— Dr. Mohammad H Al-Momani (د. محمد حسين المومني) (@DrMohAlmomani) October 23, 2026
Jordanian broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported that two gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened sustained fire for about five minutes during a funeral procession leaving the church before fleeing the scene. Jordan’s state television separately reported that gunmen opened fire inside the church, killing and injuring people.
William Halsa, who was inside the church during the attack, told Al-Mamlaka that the shooting occurred during a mourning ceremony for a relative. He said those attending heard explosions and gunfire shortly after the ceremony and prayers began.
Halsa added that two gunmen stormed the church, smashed its windows and doors, and fired at people inside. He noted that the number of attackers may have exceeded two.
One of the injured people had been shot in the head, Halsa said. He estimated that between 150 and 200 people were inside and outside the church when the shooting occurred, most of them between 50 and 70 years old.
أحد المتواجدين في كنيسة حمود بالكرك يروي تفاصيل عملية إطلاق النار على الكنيسة #عاجل #هنا_المملكة https://t.co/R6s2zDVk2c
— قناة المملكة (@AlMamlakaTV) October 23, 2026
