Jordan Buries Church Attack Victims Amid National Mourning; Prime Minister Attends Funeral

Thousands of mourners gathered on Sunday for the funerals of eight victims of a deadly attack on a church in southern Jordan. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan was among those in attendance. The burials took place beside St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, southwest of the capital, Amman. This comes two days after attackers opened fire during another funeral service at the same location.

The rare attack on Jordan’s Christian minority resulted in nine deaths and dozens of injuries, prompting three days of national mourning. The ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, is expected to be buried on Monday, according to his family, who spoke with the AFP news agency. Coffins adorned with Jordanian flags were carried through crowds surrounding the church in Karak province. Priests led prayers while security personnel maintained a guard.

According to Jordan’s state news agency, Petra, Prime Minister Hassan attended the service along with government ministers and senior military and civilian officials. Petra also reported that thousands of citizens participated in the funeral procession. Sahar al-Halsa, who was present during Friday’s shooting, recounted to Reuters how she took shelter behind a pillar amidst the gunfire and screams. Upon emerging, she discovered her cousin Assem wounded. She recalled calling out to him, and he briefly opened his eyes before succumbing to his injuries.

Father Yohanna Hamati told AFP that approximately 170 to 200 people were inside the church for Friday’s funeral when the shooting began outside. He described how mourners initially struggled to comprehend the situation before people rushed into the church to seek safety. By Saturday, bullet holes were visible on the walls and wooden pews, and windows were shattered. Church workers were seen cleaning bloodstains as villagers prepared for the burials.

Jordanian authorities have classified the incident as “extremist terrorism”. King Abdullah, who visited some of the wounded in hospital on Friday, has pledged a strong response, and the assailants are still being pursued. Officials have not yet determined if the attackers have links to any armed groups, and no organization has claimed responsibility for the violence.

The attack has also spurred expressions of solidarity across religious lines. Christians constitute about 3 percent of Jordan’s predominantly Muslim population, and AFP reported that Muslims were among those injured. Young volunteers brought flowers to a hospital in Karak with a message that read, “Our loss is one”.

Mourning extended to Washington, DC, on Sunday, where members of the Jordanian community lit candles outside their country’s embassy. Jordan’s ambassador to the US, Dina Kawar, addressed the gathered individuals, stating that attempts to incite religious division were “bound to fail”. Back in Hamoud, Father Hamati appealed for unity, emphasizing that Muslims had also been affected by the attack. “We make no distinction between Muslim and Christian,” he told AFP.