On October 23, 2026, armed gunmen launched an attack on a funeral procession at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, located in Jordan's Karak governorate. State media and public security officials report at least six to seven people killed and up to 28 wounded. Witness Khaled Burqan described two assailants opening fire for several minutes into a crowd of over 150 mourners. Jordanian security forces deployed to pursue the suspects as spokesman Mohammad Al-Momani condemned the attack.
Karak church shooting
- ▪The October 23, 2026 attack at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church occurred in the predominantly Christian town of Hamoud in northern Karak
- ▪Masked gunmen opened fire during a funeral procession at the Hamoud church in Jordan's Karak governorate on October 23, 2026
Casualty toll
- ▪The October 23, 2026 Karak church shooting left between 10 and 28 people injured
- ▪Jordanian state media initially reported seven people killed in the October 23, 2026 Karak church attack, while Jordan's Public Security Directorate later stated six were confirmed dead
Witness accounts
- ▪Eyewitness Tamer Halasa reported that more than 150 people were gathered inside and outside St. George's Greek Orthodox Church when two individuals stepped out of a vehicle and began shooting
- ▪Witness Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka television that two assailants, one armed with a pistol and the other with a rifle, fired on dozens of mourners at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud for several minutes
Jordanian security response
- ▪Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani called the October 23, 2026 shooting at the Hamoud church a heinous attack and stated that security forces were deployed to Karak to pursue the suspects
- ▪Jordanian authorities reported no immediate claim of responsibility for the October 23, 2026 attack on St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Karak
Christian-Muslim coexistence in Jordan
- ▪Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid noted that the October 23, 2026 attack on the Karak church conflicts with Jordan's public diplomacy as a custodian of Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem
- ▪Christians comprise approximately 300,000 people out of Jordan's total population of roughly 11.5 million
Previous attacks in Karak
- ▪In 2016, an ISIL assault in Karak resulted in 10 deaths, including security officers and a Canadian tourist, at a Crusader-era castle before security forces killed the attackers
- ▪Deadly violent attacks are historically rare in Jordan and in the Karak governorate
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