During a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, at least 16 people were killed and 40 others hospitalized in a coordinated shooting, marking Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
Authorities said the attack was declared a terrorist incident and targeted Jewish Australians, shaking a nation long cited as a global model for gun reform.
The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Among the dead was a Holocaust survivor who was killed while shielding his wife from gunfire.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, a leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in D.C., told WUSA9 that multiple members of his family were at the Hanukkah celebration, adding that his great-nephew was shot and is currently in the ICU.
“My nephew said he was literally hiding in fear with his daughter as bullets were whizzing by,” Shemtov said. “He survived miraculously.”
Another figure has emerged as a symbol of courage amid the carnage: Ahmed al Ahmed. The son of Syrian refugees, Ahmed was identified by police as a bystander who wrestled a gun away from one of the attackers, likely preventing further bloodshed.
Australian media identified the suspects as a father and son: 50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram. The younger Akram was born in Australia. His father immigrated to the country in 1998 and was killed at the scene, authorities said. Investigators have not disclosed whether the younger suspect was taken into custody or remains under investigation.
The attack has reopened deep national wounds in a country that believed it had largely consigned mass shootings to history.
After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, Australia banned semi-automatic weapons, launched a mandatory national gun buyback, and tightened firearm licensing. Hundreds of thousands of guns were removed from circulation. Mass shootings nearly vanished. Gun deaths fell sharply.
In the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced new steps to strengthen Australia’s already strict gun laws, including tighter restrictions on who can obtain a firearms license. The announcement followed an emergency Cabinet meeting earlier today.
“The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has commenced an investigation into a mass casualty public place shooting that resulted in 16 people dying and 40 people being injured in Sydney’s east yesterday evening,” according to a statement from the New South Wales government.
Faith Leaders Remember Victims in Bondi Beach Attack
In D.C. and worldwide, politicians, faith leaders and residents alike expressed condolences, denounced antisemitism, and emphasized love and light in the face of hatred and darkness.
“The Jewish message can never be fear. So, my message to the community is yes, once again as we have seen before, we have been hit, we have been hurt. There are people who will try to eradicate us because that’s been our story for the rest of our history,” Shemtov, one of the organizers of the National Menorah Lighting on the Ellipse– which was held Sunday evening— told WUSA9. “But we must always show strength and resolve and faith in God. That is what has carried us through the toughest moments of previous times, it’s what is going to carry us forward now.”
Imam Talib M. Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, also known as The Nation’s Mosque, said he stands “in full solidarity,” with the Jewish community across the world.
“I am deeply saddened and morally troubled by the horrific violence that took place during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney. A gathering meant to honor faith, light and remembrance was violated by an act of hatred that wounds us all,” said Shareef in a statement sent to The Informer. “Violence against innocent people, especially in sacred spaces, is a failure of moral responsibility and a betrayal of authentic faith.”
Shareef also highlighted the heroes in Sunday’s shooting, presenting them as a beacon of hope.
“Even in this painful moment, we pause to honor the heroes whose courageous and selfless actions saved lives,” he continued. “Such moral courage reflects the best of humanity and that reminds us that light can still overcome darkness.”
The Muslim faith leader offered a call to action for all.
“We must reject antisemitism, Islamaphobia, racism and all forms of hatred, and recommit ourselves to the higher calling of faith,” said Shareef, “to cultivate justice, dignity and peace among all people.”
Speaking with a group who donated to the Vatican’s Nativity scene early on Dec. 15, Pope Leo XIV, also denounced antisemitism, while encouraging prayer and spreading love.
“Enough with these forms of antisemitic violence!” the pope said. “We must eliminate hatred from our hearts.”