Another 10 people were injured in the attack in Karak governorate, according to local media. No group has claimed responsibility and the authorities have not said who was behind it.
At least seven people have been killed after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan, reports say. Another 10 were injured, according to local media. The church is in Karak governorate, about 110 miles south of the capital, Amman. A witness said two men, one carrying a rifle and the other a pistol, fired for several minutes. Jordan’s Public Security Directorate has not confirmed the death toll.
What witnesses describe
According to Jordan’s state-owned Al-Mamlaka broadcaster, cited by Reuters and Gulf News, the two suspects stepped out of a vehicle parked outside the church before opening fire. The local outlet Sawt Amman reported that they first targeted people in the courtyard and then turned their weapons towards the main entrance. Police have not confirmed this sequence.
A survivor told the outlet Nesan that between 150 and 200 mourners were present, inside and outside the building. The survivor said a loud initial sound interrupted the funeral prayers, and people ran towards the exits, where gunfire was directed at the gathering. Sawt Amman reported that the funeral was for a woman, whose name was not given. The witnesses’ accounts have not been independently verified.
One eyewitness told Sawt Amman the shooting lasted about five minutes, which is an estimate. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the gunmen then fled the village, but no verified description of their escape route or vehicle has been published.
Casualties and response
The figure of seven dead comes from Al-Mamlaka’s sources. The Associated Press reports that the Public Security Directorate acknowledged fatalities and injuries in its initial statement but gave no total. A witness speaking to Nesan said the victims were aged between 50 and 70, and authorities have not released a list of victims or their ages.
Jordanian outlets Al-Haqiqa and Al-Sawsana reported that some of the injured were in a critical condition. The number of critically injured patients and the hospitals treating them have not been confirmed. Local reporting described Civil Defence teams and ambulances taking casualties to nearby hospitals, while security officers searched the surrounding area.
Government Communications Minister Mohammad Hussein Al-Momani said authorities would release verified information as the investigation developed. He confirmed that security services were operating on the ground and asked the public to let investigators complete their work and not to rely on unverified accounts, according to Roya News.
Where it happened
Asharq Al-Awsat identified the location as the village of Hamoud, which it described as a community of Christian families and clans. Christians are a minority in Jordan’s population, though the country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world. Attacks of this kind are extremely rare in Jordan.
What is not yet known
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the authorities did not say who was responsible. It has not been established who the victims or the attackers were, what their motive was, whether the funeral was deliberately chosen, or whether the attack was aimed at Christians. No arrests have been reported. Jordan’s government has said a further official statement will follow once information is verified.
