Latest: Jews urged to show ‘resolve’ after terror attack at Chanukah event on Bondi Beach leaves 12 dead

According to Australian media at least one child was among the dead. Chabad UK have confirmed that a local rabbi, Rabbi Eli Schlanger of Chabad Bondi was among those murdered.  Rabbi Avraham Berkovitz said on X: “Rabbi Eli was one of the most joyful, creative and passionate young Jewish leaders in Australia. I deeply mourn for his family and the entire community.”

Police raided the house of Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg in Sydney's south-west, believed to be one of the gunmen, according to ABC news in Australia. 

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales confirmed that the shooting had targeted the Jewish community.  He said: “On the first day of Chanukah what should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack.”

He praised people who had risked their lives to help others. “It is worth remembering that in all of this evil, all of this sadness, there are still wonderful brave Australians that are prepared to risk their lives to help a complete stranger.”

Around 2000 people were attending the Chanukah event when people suddenly began fleeing in fear, footage posted online shows. Footage captured by a Daily Mail photographer show two men in black shooting at the crowd.  A video shared on social media shows a man grappling with one of the gunmen and disarming him. 

Police at the scene have confirmed that 11 were killed, and one gunman also died. The other gunman is in police custody and injured. Police originally said it was “not known” if the shooting was connected to the Chanukah event. 

Some 29 other people have been injured, police say, and two police officers were also shot and injured during the incident

Police have established an exclusion zone and have brought in specialised equipment to clear IEDs.

A health worker moves a stretcher after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney, December 14, 2025 (Credit: Saeed KHAN / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

 

In a clip posted to social media, a man is seen to have tackled one of the gunmen and wrestled the weapon away from him.

A Chanukah event that was to be held in Melbourne this evening was cancelled “out of an abundance of caution”. The Community Security Group (CSG) said the event 'Chanukah at Caulfield Racecourse' had ended early, with attendees being told to leave and anyone en route should return home.

Early after the attack at Bondi Beach, New South Wales Police urged people to take cover and avoid the area in a post to social media.

“Anyone at the scene should take shelter. Police are on scene and more information will be provided when it comes to hand,” the force stated. “We are still asking people in the area to take shelter until we can determine what is happening.”

A member of the public leaves Bondi Beach with her child, who is covered in an emergency blanket, after a mass shooting, December 14, 2025 (Credit: George Chan/Getty Images)Getty Images

Witnesses report hearing multiple gunshots and scenes of panic as attendees fled the venue near Campbell Parade.

The event was organised by Chabad and was mainly for parents with young children. The event was scheduled to take place near the beach's children's playground. Called Chanukah by the Sea it promised giant Menorah lighting, free donuts, kosher food, 9D cinema, a petting farm, face painting, Chanukah crafts “and much much more!”

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the scenes in Bondi as "shocking and distressing".

In a statement, he said he has spoken to the Australian Federal Police commissioner and the New South Wales (NSW) Premier.

"We are working with NSW police and will provide further updates as more information is confirmed. Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives,” he said.

The attack comes just days after the J7 coalition of international Jewish organisations visited Australia in a solidarity trip to urge the Australian government to do more to tackle antisemitism.
 

President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told the JC: “While the Jewish community gathered in Sydney to mark the first night of Chanukah, our community was subjected to a horrific act of violence.

“This is a day of profound grief. Members of our community have been murdered. Others have been seriously injured. Families are shattered. A sacred moment of light has been turned into darkness.

“We are working urgently with authorities as further details are confirmed. Our focus right now is on the victims, their families, and the safety of the community.

“Let me be clear. An attack on Jews celebrating their faith is an attack on Australia itself. It is an assault on our values, our social cohesion, and the basic right of people to gather without fear.

“This did not occur in a vacuum. For years, antisemitic incitement, vilification and intimidation have been allowed to grow unchecked. When hatred is normalised, violence follows. Tonight, that warning has become reality.

“We mourn those who have lost their lives. We pray for the wounded and for the families waiting in anguish. And we stand united, determined that terror and hatred will not drive Jews from public life in this country.

“Australia must respond with moral clarity, decisive leadership, and action. Anything less would be a betrayal of those we lost tonight."

Armed police work arrive at Bondi Beach following a mass shooting attack, December 14, 2025 (Credit: DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images

Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory said: “What happened tonight is a tragedy but entirely foreseeable. The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community.

“Tonight, many Jews are pondering whether they have a future in Australia. Our thoughts are with our community and all the impacted, some of whom we are close to.”

Sarah Frydman spoke to ABC news. She had been at a nearby bar mitzvah with her daughter Scarlett when the attack began.

She said: "At about 6:40[pm] people started screaming, telling us to run inside. So we ran in behind the kitchen and we were just hiding in a room.

"There were lots of children there. The parents weren't there because this was a kid's party basically. And [there were] lots of kids crying. It was really horrible."

Sydney resident Catherine Merchant said: "I was walking along the beach, which is one of my favourite things to do, and then everyone was just running. There were bullets and there were so many of them, and we were really scared.

"We didn't know where they were coming from. Sorry, I feel really guilty because I wasn't even right where those poor people were.

"We just didn't know and we were just running and running, and I was thinking, 'Where are we going to hide?'

"And so we didn't know whether to go up toward the Icebergs or whether to hide in the bushes and behind the rocks.

"And there were people who didn't speak English and they were crying and crying."

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry told Sky News: “This is the Jewish community aat its best coming together to mark a happy occasion. If we were targeted deliberately in this way it’s something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It’s a horrific thing.”  Mr Ryvchin said his media adviser had been wounded in the attack.

Australia’s Opposition leader Sussan Ley said: “Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi.

“The loss of life from this attack is significant and I join with the Prime Minister in urging all Australians to follow official advice from police and relevant authorities.

“This attack occurred as our Jewish community came together at the Chanukah by the Sea celebration. This was a celebration of peace and hope for the future, severed by hate.

“My heart is with Australia’s Jewish community tonight, particularly those in the eastern suburbs of Sydney – people I know well.”

Julian Leeser, a Jewish federal MP told Australia’s ABC news: 

"Tonight's unfolding terror attack at Bondi Beach, occurring on the first night of Chanukah, is a horrifying tragedy.

"For Australians, tonight has turned into one of grief and shock.

"We must come together, check in on one another, support our Jewish friends, and to offer comfort where it is needed.

"My heart goes out to those who were in Bondi, spending time with their family and friends, only to be confronted with fear and violence.

"Our Jewish community, which is known for its courage and stoicism, is shaken tonight.

"I want to thank the NSW Police officers, paramedics, other first responders and members of the public who moved swiftly to protect lives and secure the area under extremely difficult circumstances.

"Even in darkness, light endures. Tonight, the values at the heart of Chanukah matter more than ever."

Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis, stated:

“We are devastated by the murderous attack on a Chanukah gathering at Bondi Beach, where a festival of light was shattered by terror. We mourn with the Jewish community of Sydney and with the families mourning loved ones murdered in cold blood simply for being Jews. This brutal hatred, unchecked in the West, must be confronted and stopped.”