Seven Dead, 40 Wounded as Gunmen Fire Inside Karak Church During Funeral

The attack occurred on Friday at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, a city located approximately 90 kilometers south of Amman. Authorities reported that seven people died and 40 others were wounded during the service.

State television footage showed two men approaching the building with pistols before a third man, carrying a semiautomatic rifle, emerged to open fire. All three gunmen then entered the church. Witness videos captured shattered glass and blood on the floor, while Dorgham Halasa, a mourner inside, described the scene as having heavy gunfire that began 15 minutes into the funeral.

The government stated in a release that unknown assailants carried out the strike, though it did not confirm whether the shooters were captured or killed. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the wounded are in critical condition. Jordan has declared three days of national mourning in response to the violence.

King Abdullah II posted on X that the country will confront the act with the harshest penalties and offered condolences to the victims' families. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan spoke at a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, attributing the attack to terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He indicated that legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce such extremism.

Karak holds a small Christian population and has experienced fatal violence previously. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police near a Crusader castle in the area, killing ten people, including seven officers. Regional leaders and international figures condemned the new attack. The U.N. Secretary-General called the incident especially heinous because it happened during a funeral, while officials from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Oman, and Iraq expressed solidarity with Jordan.