The pain of the victims' families did not end with the arrest of those accused of carrying out the attack, as the loss cannot be compensated for by arrests, and the dreams that were interrupted by the departure of their loved ones cannot be restored.
Between demanding justice and trying to cope with the loss, families recall memories of those who left, talk about lives that have changed forever, and at the same time cling to the message that what happened “will not divide the members of one community.” These events brought back to residents' memories other events related to issues of "extremism" and "terrorism" that this city witnessed.
The Jordanian Public Security Directorate announced, at dawn on Monday, the arrest of three people accused of carrying out the attack that targeted the St. George Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud in Karak Governorate, on Friday, October 23, which resulted in the deaths of nine people and the injury of dozens.
The Directorate said that their arrest came after security searches and investigations, following an armed clash inside an abandoned house during which they refused to surrender and opened fire at the security force, which was able to control them after they were all wounded.
"I was my father's spoiled girl"
Daria Al-Barqan, the daughter of Dr. Asim Al-Barqan, who was killed in the attack on the church, says that she feels angry, sad, and broken, despite her confidence in the ability of the security services to arrest those involved.
It demands that the perpetrators of the attack be held accountable and that the most severe punishments be imposed on them, saying: “We had confidence that the security services would arrest them, but we demand that they be held accountable and executed publicly, and that those behind them be held accountable.”
She added that what happened sparked a feeling of insecurity in Karak, saying: “The situation is not comfortable and there is no reassurance in Karak. This is the first time we feel this way.”
Daria explains that she chose to work in the city of Karak, where her family originates, because of the nature of the place and the relationships between people. Her father accompanied her to the family home in Karak every weekend, and she says that "he loved Karak, and this time, he was in a hurry to go there."
Far from his well-known image as an academic and a nationalist man, Daria wants to talk about him from her position as his daughter, and says: “I was my father’s spoiled daughter. He taught me everything and made me stronger in the world. I hope every daughter’s relationship with her father will be like my relationship with my father.”
She describes him as a strong, caring and patient man, adding: “For me, he was a great man.”
Daria recalls the details of their last days, noting that her father was working on maintaining the family grave days before the attack, and he was determined to complete the work. She says she insisted that he be buried in the same family grave.
She also remembers their last trip to Karak and the last cup of coffee they drank together, along with small daily details, including that her father used to prepare lunch for her to eat after work hours.
Her father encouraged her to accept a job opportunity in her field of specialization in the city of Karak, despite their residence in Amman, which was about an hour and a half away, out of his belief in the importance of the opportunity and the social relations in the southern city of Karak.
Daria stresses that her demand is not limited to arresting the accused, but extends to holding them accountable and following up on investigations to reveal everyone behind the attack, stressing: “I want my father’s right to be held accountable and not to be complacent, and our story will not end here. Those who stand behind them must be followed up.”
“My brother Mazen will not return.”
Lama Al-Qussous says that the arrest of the accused cannot compensate her for the loss of her brother Mazen, adding: “My brother Mazen will not return, I will not benefit from the killing of the perpetrators, he will not return.”
“Mazen was very affectionate and was impatiently waiting to become a grandfather after a few months, but the attack did not give him the opportunity to experience that joy.”
She worriedly wondered about the targeting of people during a funeral ceremony, saying: “I mean, they attacked people at a funeral. What’s more than that?”
She describes her brother as being very affectionate, a son and a brother who would not refuse his family’s requests and would always be by their side. Mazen was joyfully awaiting the arrival of his grandson after a few months, but his passing deprived him of that moment.
Lama expresses her pain by saying: “They broke us,” demanding that those involved be tried publicly and that justice be achieved.
She says: "What happened is strange to Jordanian society, which is accustomed to coexistence and interdependence among its people. We are not familiar with this act in Jordan. We have lived together all our lives, and the interconnection between people in Karak, especially in the village of Hamoud, has always existed regardless of religion."
“What happens when Fadi graduates?”
As for Fadi's father, he is facing the loss of his only son, who graduated as a dentist two months ago, and who dreamed of opening his own clinic and starting his professional career.
He says: “Fadi did not graduate. He studied dentistry in Egypt and wanted to start his life and open a clinic and treat people. He did not.”
Fadi graduated in June of this year from the Faculty of Medicine at Alexandria University.
Between grieving for his son and demanding justice, the father clings to the message of coexistence, saying: “For thousands of years we have lived together, we work in the army together, we hope together, and no one will separate us.”
He summarizes his demand by saying: “We demand justice.”
Mayor: Our unity is stronger than Takfiri thought
Engineer Bahjat Al-Rawashdeh, Mayor of Shehan, confirms that knowing the full truth about the Hammoud village incident is a right for the families of the victims and a national, moral and humanitarian duty, stressing the necessity of revealing the circumstances of the incident and holding everyone proven responsible for it accountable in accordance with the law.
He says that targeting innocent people in a place of worship represents a grave tragedy that befell the people of Karak and Jordanians of all walks of life, stressing that the victims are “brothers of blood and soil and sons of one homeland,” and that “takfiri and terrorist ideology contradicts the values of the Islamic religion, which are based on mercy and preserving the human soul.”
He added that revealing the truth and holding those responsible accountable would strengthen citizens' confidence in state institutions and prevent the recurrence of such crimes, stressing that the blood of the Hamoud martyrs will not be a cause for division, but rather will increase Jordanians' adherence to their national unity and coexistence, and that the people of the country are united by a single history and destiny.
Regarding the role of the municipality, Al-Rawashdeh says that the Shihan Municipality has placed its capabilities in serving the families of the victims, and has prepared, with the support and follow-up of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration, Engineer Walid Al-Masry, specific sites for mourning and squares to receive mourners from various governorates of the Kingdom and sisterly and friendly countries.
The municipality also allocated and prepared a cemetery called the “Shrine of the Hammoud Martyrs,” in commemoration of their memory and in appreciation of their status among their families and the people of the country.
Al-Rawashdeh stresses that the municipality's responsibility goes beyond mourning ceremonies to continuing to support the families and coordinating efforts with the concerned authorities to respond to their needs within the available capabilities, indicating that the municipality's doors will remain open to the families of the victims and members of the local community.
He concludes by emphasizing that national unity is embodied in the solidarity of Jordanians and their standing by one another in adversity, and that “terrorism and Takfiri ideology will not undermine the Jordanians’ interdependence, love, and coexistence.”
“Ten years have passed, but nothing has changed.”
In a previous attack, on December 18, 2016, the city of Karak in southern Jordan witnessed a series of armed attacks that began in the Qatraneh area, after a security patrol came under fire while responding to a report of a fire in a house.
The gunmen moved to the city of Karak, where they opened fire on patrols and a security center, before barricading themselves inside the ancient Karak Castle and clashing with the security forces for hours.
The attacks resulted in dozens being killed and injured.
The events caused widespread shock in Jordan, and brought back to the forefront the challenges of confronting armed attacks, as their memory remained fresh with the families of the victims, including the family of Colonel Saed Al-Maaytah, who was killed during his official work.
Aseel Al-Maaytah, Colonel Saed's sister, says that hearing the news of the attack on the church brought back to her the feelings of the moments she lived 10 years ago, when she lost her brother.
She says: "Ten years have passed, but nothing has changed. When I heard the news that happened in the church, I felt as if I were living the same moments that I had lived a decade ago, when my brother Saed was martyred."
She adds that what she recalled most this time was what she describes as “sadness to the point of denial,” when a person feels as if he is disconnected from reality and cannot comprehend what happened.
Aseel confirms that she does not see a difference between what happened in Karak Castle and what happened in the church, saying: “I do not differentiate between what happened in the castle and what happened in the church, and I do not differentiate between those who were unjustly killed; they are all victims of terrorism.”
Between the events of the castle, Qarifla and today
Retired Major General Adnan Al-Shamayleh says that the attack on Hammoud Church is an unusual incident in the history of Karak, pointing out that the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the governorate is historically based on coexistence and interdependence. He believed that the attack differed from the events of Karak Castle on December 18, 2016, which he described as having political and security motives, not religious ones. He considered that the motives of the church incident seemed closer to internal motives, without providing conclusive evidence of that.
Speaking about previous "terrorist attacks" in the southern city, the Karak attacks in 2016 and the Hamoud Church attack are similar in terms of an armed attack and casualties, but the security context is different, according to him. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Karak Castle attack, and it was followed by security operations to pursue wanted persons linked to the cell, including the Qarifla clashes.
On December 20, 2016, the village of Qarifla in Karak Governorate also witnessed armed clashes during a security operation to pursue wanted persons, two days after the Karak Castle attack claimed by ISIS. The confrontations broke out after one of the wanted men barricaded himself inside a house and opened fire on the security forces, killing four members of the Public Security and Gendarmerie forces and wounding others. Initial reports conflicted regarding the connection of the wanted persons to the castle attack, before later reports indicated that some of the suspects were linked to the cell that was attributed to carrying out the attack.
Al-Shamayleh said that the incident requires strengthening security measures and continuing scrutiny of potential threats, considering that it constitutes a lesson for the security services, the government, and citizens. But he expressed his belief that the attack does not necessarily indicate a broader security threat or the existence of a future plan, stressing that evaluating this is linked to what the investigations will reveal.
Hammoud village
The village of Hamoud is located in the Karak Governorate in southern Jordan. It is considered one of the villages that includes members of the Christian community, who form part of the social fabric of the governorate.
The village includes the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George, inside which mourners were targeted in the attack that occurred on October 23, 2026.
The incident highlights the importance of coexistence in Karak, according to its residents, as the governorate’s residents have extended social and family relationships, regardless of religious affiliation.
While the families await what the investigations will reveal, they insist on their right to know the truth and hold those responsible accountable, while emphasizing that what happened will not erase the bonds of coexistence that brought together the people of Karak and Jordan, regardless of their backgrounds.
