The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
On Friday 23 October 2026, more than 150 Christians gathered at a Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate, to bury a member of their community. During the funeral, three gunmen drove up and opened fire on the mourners, shouting "Allahu Akbar" as they shot. At least eight Christians were killed and about forty people were wounded. Jordan's prime minister says the killers acted on extremist Islamist ideology, and a video appears to show them pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. It is the deadliest attack on a church in Jordan's modern history, in a country where Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries.
The facts matter here, so let us state them plainly: this was Muslim extremists killing Christians because they were Christians, at a church, at a funeral. It is also true that Muslim neighbours ran toward the gunfire to carry the wounded, that a Muslim mourner was among those shot, and that Jordan's Muslim king and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar condemned the killers. Both truths belong in the record.
Here is what has been established so far, drawn from CNN, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and Jordan's own media, and how the church should respond.
Picture: a frame from security-camera footage of the attack, shared on X.
What happened at the church in Karak
The church is St George's Greek Orthodox Church, known locally as the Hmoud Church, in a village that has been predominantly Christian for centuries, about 110 miles south of Amman. People had filled the church and its courtyard for the funeral of a woman from the village.
Witnesses told Jordan's Al-Mamlaka TV that a vehicle pulled up and two men got out and began shooting. Security-camera footage verified by the BBC shows the two firing from the pavement, sheltering behind trees and a wall, then retreating and returning with a third gunman before running into the church grounds. One carried an AK-47; the others had handguns. The firing went on for several minutes, aimed mostly at the courtyard where most of the mourners were standing. One witness said the attackers shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they fired.
"We were more than 150 people inside and outside the church," Tamer Halasa, who was there, told Al-Mamlaka.
A woman who survived by hiding behind the altar told CNN: "It was a massacre. I did not imagine I would get out alive. They struck people who were gathered to grieve and mourn. I never ever imagined anything like this would ever happen anywhere in Jordan."
Muslim villagers ran to help the wounded, one relative of the deceased told Sky News Arabia, and a Muslim mourner was among those hit.
How many were killed and wounded
The toll rose through the day. Jordan's authorities first reported six dead, then seven. By the morning of 24 October CNN and others were reporting at least eight dead and forty wounded, twenty-seven of them still in hospital. The health minister, Ibrahim al-Budour, said two were in critical condition. Eight of the injured were flown by military helicopter to the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman. Most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old.
The names of the dead had not been released when this article was written. We will add them, with a request for prayer by name, as soon as they are confirmed.
Who carried out the attack: Islamist extremists
Nobody had been arrested and no group had formally claimed responsibility by the time of writing, but the identity of the killers is not in serious doubt. They shouted the Islamic cry "Allahu Akbar" as they fired on Christians at a church, and Jordan's own government describes them as Islamist extremists. Jordan's Public Security Directorate called it "a terrorist attack against Christians attending a funeral" by unidentified gunmen, and a manhunt was under way. The Interior Ministry blamed "a group of extremists".
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said: "What happened in Karak was the result of extremist terrorist ideology rooted in takfir," the practice of declaring other people infidels, "and we will not allow society to go down this path."
A video circulating online appears to show the attackers declaring allegiance to the Islamic State group. The video had not been independently verified and the group had not formally claimed the attack, which is why this article says "Islamist extremists" rather than naming the group as fact. Jordan has fought that movement before: in December 2016, Islamic State gunmen killed fourteen people in Karak, including police officers at the city's Crusader castle.
Jordan's response
King Abdullah II called the shooting a terrorist attack and wrote: "Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity. All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate. Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation."
He visited the wounded in hospital in Karak the same day, in military uniform. Jordan declared three days of national mourning, with flags at half mast. That evening, Muslim and Christian leaders, officials and tribal elders held a vigil together outside an Orthodox church in Amman.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the church, said it was confident the security forces would "act swiftly and professionally to bring the terrorist perpetrators to justice." The Latin Patriarchate said the national cohesion of the Jordanian people "serves as a vital safeguard against terrorism, extremism, and any attempts to sow division or discord."
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, said the crime "contradicts the teachings of the Abrahamic religions and reveals that its perpetrators are devoid of all compassion, humanity and morality." Condemnations came from the United States, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan and the Gulf states.
Christians in Jordan
Christians make up about two per cent of Jordan's population, roughly 200,000 people, most of them Greek Orthodox and Catholic, with growing evangelical congregations. Their presence goes back to the first century; Jordan holds the baptism site of Jesus at Bethany beyond the Jordan, and Karak's Christian villages are among the oldest Christian communities in the world.
Jordan has long been one of the safest countries in the region for Christians. Churches are protected by the state, Christians hold reserved seats in parliament, and in Karak Christian and Muslim families share tribal customs and have stood together in disputes for generations. That is why Jordanians, Christian and Muslim alike, keep using the same word for this attack: unprecedented.
What this means for the church
Jesus told his disciples plainly: "They will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). He said it so that when it happens, we would not be shaken but would remember that he foretold it, and that he is coming back. The violence done to believers in Karak, Nigeria, Syria and elsewhere is grief, but it is not a surprise to God.
The woman who survived by hiding behind the altar may not have known how close her hiding place was to Scripture. John saw "under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God," and heard them told to rest a little longer, until the full number of their brothers was complete (Revelation 6:9-11). God keeps count. Not one of these lives is lost to him.
And Jesus commanded the response that is hardest and most powerful: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). The church in Jordan has done exactly that for fourteen centuries, and its Muslim neighbours ran toward the gunfire to carry its wounded. Pray that this attack fails in its purpose, which was to divide them.
How to pray
- For the bereaved families of Hmoud, who buried one neighbour and now must bury eight more: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18).
- For the forty wounded, especially the two in critical condition, and for the doctors treating them.
- For St George's Church and its priests, as they lead the funerals and the grieving.
- For Jordan's security forces, that the attackers are found quickly and justice is done without further bloodshed.
- For King Abdullah II and Jordan's leaders, and for the unity of Christians and Muslims that the attackers tried to break.
- For the attackers themselves, that they will meet the Christ whose people they struck, as Saul did on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
- For the church across the Middle East, in Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the Holy Land, where this attack has revived old fears.
Remember those who are mistreated, "since you also are in the body" (Hebrews 13:3). Share this article with your church so that Karak is prayed for by name this Sunday. For more on believers paying a price for their faith, read our report on Liatu Samuel Dawa, jailed in Nigeria for sharing her faith, and follow our News and Prophecy in the News sections.
Questions this article answers
What happened at the church in Karak, Jordan?
On 23 October 2026, three Islamist gunmen opened fire on a Christian funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, Karak governorate, firing for several minutes at mourners in the church courtyard before fleeing. At least eight people were killed and about forty wounded.
Who was killed in the Jordan church attack?
The victims were Christian mourners, mostly aged between 50 and 70, attending the funeral of a woman from the village. A Muslim mourner was among the wounded. The names of the dead had not been released when this was written.
Who carried out the attack on the church in Jordan?
Islamist extremists. The three gunmen shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they fired on Christian mourners, Jordan's prime minister blamed extremist, takfiri ideology, and an unverified video appears to show the attackers pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. Nobody had been arrested and no group had formally claimed the attack by 24 October; a manhunt is under way.
How did Jordan respond?
King Abdullah II called it a terrorist attack, promised to strike the perpetrators "with an iron fist" and visited the wounded. Jordan declared three days of mourning, and Muslim and Christian leaders held a joint vigil in Amman the same evening.
How many Christians live in Jordan?
About two per cent of Jordan's population, roughly 200,000 people, mostly Greek Orthodox and Catholic. Jordan's Christian communities date to the first century and the country has been among the safest in the Middle East for Christians, which is why this attack is called unprecedented.
How should Christians respond to the Karak attack?
Pray for the bereaved and wounded, for justice, for Jordan's unity, and for the attackers' repentance, as Jesus commanded (Matthew 5:44). Remember persecuted believers as though suffering with them (Hebrews 13:3), and take comfort that Christ foretold such hatred and promised to return (Matthew 24:9-13).
Sources: CNN (23 and 24 October 2026), the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Fox News, Jordan's Petra and Al-Mamlaka, and statements by the Royal Hashemite Court, the Greek Orthodox and Latin Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Al-Azhar. Casualty figures were still being revised; we will update this article as the facts settle.