Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach became the scene of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades when gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration Sunday evening. The attack, which authorities have declared a terrorist incident, left 11 dead and more than two dozen injured, including children, marking a devastating blow to a nation that prides itself on public safety.
More than 1,000 attendees had gathered for the festival’s first day celebrations when chaos erupted shortly before 7pm local time. Assailants positioned on a small footbridge mere meters from a children’s playground fired into fenced-in crowds enjoying the final sunlight of a sweltering summer day. A vehicle containing improvised explosive devices was discovered nearby, though the bombs failed to detonate.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of pandemonium as beach-goers screamed and fled through the park. ‘It was simply an unbelievable scene… that families and kids on Bondi could be completely mowed down for being Jewish,’ said one attendee identified only as Barry. Video footage captured a bystander now hailed as a ‘genuine hero’ by state officials wrestling a firearm from one attacker.
The tragedy occurs against a backdrop of rising antisemitic incidents across Australia since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Gaza offensive. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the ‘act of evil antisemitism’ and ‘vile act of violence and hate,’ while facing criticism from Israeli officials for not adequately addressing preceding warning signs.
Jewish community leaders expressed profound grief, with Robert Gregory of the Australia Jewish Association noting many would question their future in the country. ‘To be confronted with this horrific act of antisemitic violence during the Jewish festival of light and hope is shattering,’ the Jewish Council of Australia stated.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon urged calm and discouraged online speculation as investigators work to determine the attackers’ identities and motivations. One gunman was killed by police, another remains hospitalized in critical condition, and authorities are investigating potential accomplices.
The attack represents Australia’s most lethal shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which prompted sweeping gun control reforms. Bondi’s tragedy comes less than two years after a mass stabbing at nearby Bondi Junction, further shaking the nation’s self-perception as a safe haven free from such public violence.