WORLD 🔗 Part of: Tremors from the Middle East (79) · 24 Oct 2026 · 04:52 GMT ·2 min read

Seven Killed in Attack on Greek Orthodox Church in Karak, Jordan

Three gunmen attacked a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud, Karak, on October 23, 2026.

NEUTRALITY 46 · MIXED· 7 sources

Al Jazeera

Three gunmen attacked a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud, Karak, on October 23, 2026. The assault killed seven people and injured dozens. CCTV footage shows the attackers entering with handguns and a semiautomatic rifle. Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya identified the assailants as extremists, though a government statement initially cited unknown attackers. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the violence as a product of terrorist ideology. The government declared three days of mourning as officials investigate the kingdom's deadliest attack in years.

Context

Karak is a province in southern Jordan located 180 kilometers from Amman. The region has long hosted a Christian community. On October 23, 2026, extremists attacked the Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud during a funeral service. Jordanian authorities confirmed the attack and launched an investigation. Officials described the incident as a violation of religious and humanitarian values. They also characterized the event as a return of violence to the governorate.

Supportive perspectives

King Abdullah II vowed to punish the perpetrators and called for national unity after the October 23, 2026, attack. The monarch addressed the violence and urged national unity.
The Jordanian government declared three days of national mourning to honor the victims of the attack.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the attack as the result of "terrorist ideology and blind extremism." He described the incident as an ideological threat. The state intends to confront this threat directly.
Jordan's director of public security, Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, confirmed that investigations are underway and that 27 of the wounded remained in treatment. This active investigation demonstrates the state's effort to identify the assailants and provide medical support to the survivors.

Critical perspectives

The attack in the Karak governorate ranks among the deadliest in Jordan in recent years. This breach of security prompted public scrutiny of local protection measures.
The 2026 incident occurred in Karak, a province that experienced a series of attacks in 2016. The 2016 attacks killed 10 people and included an assault on a Crusader-era castle. Violence returned to the province in 2026. Available reports do not link the two events.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the perpetrators as a "group of extremists." The government faces persistent security challenges from these ideologies. Past initiatives to counter these groups have not eliminated the threat.
Estimates of the death toll differ. Some sources count seven fatalities, but others report six.