Terror Attacks in France, Jordan and the West Bank Leave at Least Nine Dead

Three deadly shootings on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in France, Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank left at least nine people dead, not counting attackers. French prosecutors are investigating a drive-by shooting in Trappes, west of Paris, as a suspected terror attack. Gunmen opened fire at a church funeral in Jordan’s Karak governorate. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting near Hebron.

Trappes drive-by shooting investigated as suspected terrorism

A gunman firing from a car killed one person and wounded four others in Trappes and neighboring La Verrière, about 20 kilometers west of Paris, France 24 reported, citing police and AFP. A police source told AFP the man fired in bursts from his vehicle at about 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET).

A 39-year-old man was arrested shortly afterward in nearby Coignières, according to a source familiar with the case quoted by France 24. Prosecutors opened an investigation for “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.” They said they are also examining whether the victims were targeted for their “real or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.”

Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV the suspect was “firing at random, wanting to cause a bloodbath.” Rabeh said the person killed was “of African origin” and that one of the wounded, in critical condition, “is of north African origin.” He added that he did not want to say anything “definitive” about a motive. La Verrière Mayor Nicolas Dainville told AFP that a 12-year-old girl was “seriously wounded” after being shot eight times but was in stable condition.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote on X that the case was “very serious” and that “all resources of the security forces and the judiciary are fully mobilised.” President Emmanuel Macron said “the nation is standing with” the victims. Authorities have not publicly named the suspect or a confirmed motive.

Gunmen attack funeral at church in Karak, Jordan

In Jordan, gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Karak governorate, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Amman. A spokesperson for Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said at least six people were confirmed dead and 28 wounded, Al Jazeera reported with Reuters. Earlier reports, including one from Jordanian state television carried by Reuters via Arab News, gave a toll of at least seven dead and 10 injured. The Associated Press described it as a Greek Orthodox church. Casualty figures were still changing as of Friday afternoon ET.

Survivors said they heard an explosion as the funeral procession began, after which masked gunmen entered the church and began shooting, according to Al Jazeera. State-owned broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were pursuing two suspects who reportedly got out of a vehicle before opening fire. Funeral attendee Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka one attacker carried a pistol and the other a rifle. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and Jordanian authorities have not said who carried out the attack. Jordanian state media figures are attributed here as reported; the final toll has not been independently established.

Two Israeli soldiers killed near Hebron

In the West Bank, two Israeli soldiers were killed and three were lightly wounded in a shooting near Yehuda (Judea) Junction outside Hebron on Friday morning, the Israeli military said, AP reported. The army named them as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, a squad commander, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon. Both served in the Home Front Command’s 775th “Ari” Battalion, according to The Times of Israel.

Two Palestinian gunmen were killed after a gunfight of about 20 minutes, according to the military’s account reported by Ynet. The Israeli military said a large quantity of ammunition was found in the attackers’ vehicle. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called it “a serious terrorist attack” and said the ammunition “was intended to be used in a larger-scale attack,” Israel National News reported. Claimed by the Israeli military: an initial probe found the two attackers were 27-year-old Hebron residents affiliated with Hamas. That affiliation has not been independently confirmed, and no group’s claim of responsibility had been verified by Friday afternoon. Jordan’s state news agency Petra, citing Israeli army radio, reported the two Palestinians were killed after an attack on a military checkpoint in Hebron’s Farsh al-Hawa area !Unverified claim, Petra (Jordanian state news agency); that location differs from the military’s description.

Context and security response

AP said the Hebron attack is likely to heighten political tensions ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election next week. The Trappes shooting came as France faces mass cost-of-living protests and riots, with overnight curfews in several cities and more demonstrations expected this weekend, France 24 reported. The Boston Report has covered France’s ban on what Macron called illegitimate marches and reported US and Israeli plans for renewed Iran strikes.

The three attacks have not been linked to one another by any authority.

Additional details

• Trappes drew attention in recent years after a teacher there reported threats for writing that the state did not do enough to protect Samuel Paty, a teacher killed by a radical Islamist in another Paris suburb in 2020, according to France 24.
• A resident told AFP his mother saw a grey Renault Clio speeding by and heard “loud bangs.”
• Karak was the site of a 2016 ISIS attack in which gunmen holed up in the Crusader-era castle killed 10 people, including security officers and a Canadian tourist, Al Jazeera noted.
• Christians number about 300,000 in Jordan, a country of roughly 11.5 million, according to Al Jazeera.
• Roytman’s funeral was set for Sunday at 11 a.m. local time at the military cemetery in Ashkelon, Ynet reported.

Featured image: Kerak Castle in Karak, Jordan. Photo by Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, cropped.

Sources

• France 24: One killed, four including child injured in drive-by shooting in Paris suburb
• Al Jazeera/Reuters: Gunmen open fire at church in Jordan
• Arab News/Reuters: Unidentified gunmen open fire at church in Jordan
• AP: Gunmen open fire inside a church in Jordan
• AP: Israeli military says 2 soldiers were killed in the West Bank attack
• The Times of Israel: 2 soldiers killed in shooting attack at West Bank checkpoint
• Ynet: IDF names two soldiers killed near Hebron
• Israel National News: Ron and Yuval fell in shooting attack near Hebron
• Petra (Jordan News Agency): Israel kills two Palestinians in Hebron