At least 16 people, including one child, were killed in a mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, according to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon.
The attack occurred during the "Chanukah by the Sea" event marking the start of the eight-day Jewish festival, at Archer Park, a grassed area just north of the Bondi Pavilion, shortly after 6:47 pm local time, with over 1,000 people present at the beach event. It has been declared a terrorist incident by Australian officials.
Two gunmen, identified as a father and son, opened fire using long firearms; the 50-year-old father was shot and killed by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, a Pakistani national based in Sydney, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
A bystander, identified as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, was hailed as a hero for tackling and disarming one of the gunmen in video footage recorded during the attack. He was praised by NSW Premier Chris Minns.
The man's cousin, Mustafa al-Ahmad, told Australia's News 7 that Ahmed was shot once in the arm and once in the shoulder. The injuries came when the second gunman fired on Ahmed after he tackled the first man.
"He's a hero. One hundred percent a hero. Once we saw on social media, he's one hundred percent a hero," Mustafa told the outlet.
Police discovered two active improvised explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the deceased gunman, which were safely removed by a bomb disposal unit. And multiple properties were raided, including a home in Bonnyrigg and an Airbnb in Campsie.
The 50-year-old suspect was a licensed firearm holder with six guns legally registered to him, and police found six additional firearms at the scene. One of the suspects, the 24-year-old son, was reportedly known to Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, but had not been deemed an immediate threat prior to the attack.
"There was very little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities," Lanyon said. "The person was determined to be entitled to have a firearms license and…the person had a firearms license for a number of years for which there were no incidents."
Among the victims was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the event, who had faced criticisms in the past for his support for Israel Defense Force(IDF) during their genociadal war in Gaza. He was identified by the Chabad organization and confirmed by multiple sources.
At least 42 people were injured, including 42 hospitalizations reported by NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, with seven in critical condition and two police officers among the injured.
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation from international leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called it an "act of evil antisemitism," and King Charles III, who described it as a "dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack."
"An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian and every Australian tonight will be, like me, devastated on this attack on our way of life," Albanese said at a press conference. "There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation. Let me be clear. We will eradicate it."
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmersaid in an X post: "As we light the Chanukiah, our thoughts and prayers are with those murdered in the terrorist attack on Bondi beach today, their loved ones and the whole Jewish community. Light will always win over darkness."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged the attack while speaking at an event in Jerusalem recognizing immigrants' extraordinary achievements on Sunday.
"At these very moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Chanukah on Bondi Beach," Herzog said. "Our hearts go out to them. The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment, as we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them and we pray for those who lost their lives."
Israeli officials were quick to lay blame for the deadly shooting in Sydney, Australia, at the feet of the nation's government, saying it had ignored "countless warning signs" of antisemitism.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism online for suggesting that governments should clamp down on free speech to fight antisemitism. Critics argue that his genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza is the main cause of rising anti-Israel sentiment especially among Muslims. The PM had also initially lied about the identity of the hero who tackled one of the gunman, claiming he's a jew.
"We saw an action of a brave man – turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him – that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews. But it requires the action of your government, which you are not taking," Netanyahu said at the meeting. "And you have to, because history will not forgive hesitation and weakness. It will honor action and strength.
In remarks to reporters at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump praised al Ahmed: "And in Australia, you probably read, it's been a very, very brave person, actually, who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives. A very brave person who's right now in the hospital, pretty seriously wounded. So I have great respect to that man."
The incident marks a significant escalation in anti-Israel sentiment in Australia, which has seen a rise in hate incidents since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
Investigation of Sunday's attack is ongoing, with police saying no further suspects are at large.
