At least nine people were killed and around 40 injured when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, in Jordan's southern Karak province, on Friday 23 October 2026, according to Jordanian authorities and international reporting. The toll rose as injured victims died in hospital; officials first reported seven dead and 34 injured.

What happened at the funeral

More than 150 people had gathered inside and outside the church to mourn a member of the community when the shooting began. Witnesses told state-run Al-Mamlaka television that attackers arrived in a vehicle and fired for several minutes, including at people standing in the church courtyard. State television footage showed three gunmen approaching the church, at least one carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle. A survivor who hid behind the altar told CNN she had not imagined getting out alive.

The official response

Jordan's Public Security Directorate said the gunmen had not been captured and described the shooting as a terrorist attack. King Abdullah II visited injured survivors at Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak and vowed that Jordan would strike those responsible with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack was the result of extremist terrorist ideology rooted in takfir, the practice of declaring others to be infidels. Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani stressed that Christians are part of Jordan's national fabric.

What remains unknown

No group has claimed responsibility, and authorities have not announced arrests or confirmed whether the attackers were linked to any established militant organisation. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said it was too early to determine such links. Jordan declared a period of national mourning, and the search for the attackers continues. Sources: CNN; Fox News; Associated Press via Fox News.