At least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured after two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, in what Australian authorities have labeled a targeted terrorist attack against the Jewish community.
Police in New South Wales said the shooting began around 6:45 p.m. local time as hundreds of people gathered for “Hanukkah by the Sea,” an event marking the first night of the Jewish holiday. Victims ranged in age from about 10 to 87, according to officials. At least 40 people were hospitalized, including several children and two police officers who were listed as critical but stable.
Authorities identified the attackers as a father and son, ages 50 and 24. Police said the older man was shot and killed by officers at the scene, while the younger suspect was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Investigators said six firearms were recovered and that two improvised explosive devices were also found nearby and safely removed by a bomb disposal unit. The father was licensed to own firearms, officials said, and investigators are determining whether the weapons used were legally registered.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the violence was deliberate and ideologically motivated: “This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese similarly described the shooting as an “act of evil antisemitism” and a terrorist incident. Albanese said at a news conference: “What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach, that is associated with joy, associated with families gathering, associated with celebrations, and it is forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening … The scenes in Bondi are shocking and distressing. Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected.”
Officials have not yet released a full list of victims, but among those killed was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi with Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the event, per the organization. New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said the death toll rose overnight and confirmed that multiple children were among those wounded: “This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community. … What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity.”
Video from the scene showed beachgoers fleeing as gunshots echoed across the waterfront. One widely shared clip appeared to show an unarmed civilian tackling and disarming one of the gunmen near Campbell Parade, a road running parallel to the beach. Premier Minns praised the man — later identified by relatives to Australian media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed — calling him a “genuine hero.” Police confirmed the bystander was injured and hospitalized. Hundreds of officers and emergency responders flooded the scene, with images showing victims being taken away on stretchers.
Leaders around the world quickly condemned the attack, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio writing on X, “The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration. Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.”
A statement from the Great Britian’s Royal family read that King Charles and Queen Camilla were “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people” attending the event, adding that Australia’s sense of unity would endure.
Israeli leaders also denounced the violence, with President Isaac Herzog calling it a “terrorist attack” and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describing it as “a heinous deadly attack on Jewish families.”
Mass shootings are rare in Australia, where strict gun laws were enacted after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. However, officials and researchers have noted a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, alongside increased hate incidents targeting Muslim communities. The Australian government appointed special envoys last year to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, though attacks have continued.
Editorial credit: Stepan Skorobogadko / Shutterstock.com
