On 14 December 2025, a terroristmass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a large Hanukkah celebration hosted by the Chabad of Bondi. The shooting occurred in the late afternoon at a playground within Archer Park, prompting widespread panic as people sought shelter.
Sixteen people were killed,[1] including a child[4] and one of the two alleged shooters, with the second shooter in custody.[5] Forty-two people were injured and taken to the hospital,[2] including at least two police officers.[5] The New South Wales Police Force responded to the incident and police later found and removed a suspected improvised explosive device from a car belonging to one of the shooters. Authorities declared it a terrorist attack, and numerous world leaders and news outlets described it as antisemitic. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a deliberate attack on Jewish people during Hanukkah.
Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most popular seaside areas. It is located in Sydney's eastern suburbs; this area is known as the centre of the Jewish community of Sydney, which in turn is one of the two largest Jewish communities in Australia alongside Melbourne's.[10] The Bondi area of Sydney had experienced recent heightened security concerns due to the Bondi Junction stabbings in April 2024.[11][12]
The incident took place at an annual Chabad community event ("Hanukkah by the Sea"), which celebrates the beginning of Hanukkah.[18][19] Nearly 1,000 people were in attendance.[2]
Initial videos of the incident showed two men dressed in black firing upon the crowd,[20][21] reportedly with at least one bolt action rifle.[22] Around 50 gunshots were fired during the attack.[23] Emergency services were first called to the scene at 18:47(AEDT, UTC+11).[24]New South Wales Police released a statement at 18:57 confirming an incident was being responded to, and urging the public to avoid the area.[25]
The BBC later verified a nearly continuous 11-minute video, filmed from approximately 50 metres away, that begins shortly after the incident begins and captures the first police officer stepping onto the pedestrian bridge as well as wounded participants at the "Hanukkah on the Beach" event being treated.[26]
One of the shooters, while aiming down his sights and firing, was disarmed by Ahmed al-Ahmed, an unarmed male bystander.[27][28] He tackled the shooter from behind and managed to seize the weapon from him, and then aimed it back at the shooter.[29] The shooter retreated to a bridge where the other gunman was positioned. A police officer then arrived and opened fire on the gunmen from behind.[30]
In the hours following the attack, police reported finding improvised explosive devices inside a car on Campbell Parade, the main road running parallel to Bondi Beach and they had later been removed by the New South Wales bomb squad.[31][32]
Response
New South Wales Police apprehended two attackers; one died at the scene, while one was rushed to hospital in critical condition under police guard.[20][31][33] They urged the public to avoid the area while the situation remained a developing incident. Emergency services treated various injured people at the scene, and authorities stated they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting amid ongoing public safety operations.[34]
New South Wales premier Chris Minns initially confirmed at least 12 people were killed, including one of the shooters, and at least 29 were injured, including at least two police officers.[35][38][39]Ryan Park, New South Wales Minister for Health later announced that the death toll had risen to 16,[40] with 14 having died at the scene and two while hospitalised. The ages of the dead ranged from 10 to 87 years. At least 42 people were injured, five critically.[41][42][43]
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that one Israeli was killed and another was injured,[44] while a French national was named as a victim by French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot.[45] Chabad rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan, along with Chabad community member Reuven Morrison, were killed,[46] and several other emissaries were wounded.[47] Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was also killed while trying to save his wife.[48][49]
Assailants
Photographs from the scene showed two men dressed in black standing on a bridge.[38] New South Wales Police engaged the pair, killing one gunman at the scene while the other was shot and taken into custody in critical condition.[20][31] According to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, the shooters were a father and son, aged 50 and 24, respectively. The father was killed at the scene.[50] The son, whose home in Bonnyrigg was raided by police, was known to ASIO but had been deemed "not an immediate threat".[51][31] Following the raid on the property, a man and a woman were taken into police custody.[38] A raid was also conducted on a Campsie home where the pair are believed to have been staying.[52]
Aftermath
Domestic
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as "shocking and distressing" and called it a "targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah".[36][31][9] New South Wales premier Chris Minns stated that "the reports and images coming out of Bondi tonight are deeply distressing" and encouraged people to follow the directions of police.[31] Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke called the shooting an "appalling act of violence".[35] As Australia's head of state, King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were "appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people".[53] The police commissioner of New South Wales, Mal Lanyon, designated the shooting a terrorist attack.[36]
Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said: "This is an attack on the Jewish community that deeply pains us as a community".[54][55] The President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said: "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".[56]
The Australian National Imams Council also condemned the shooting, stating that "this is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms and affirming our shared commitment to social harmony and the safety of all Australians".[35]
123Buckley, Penry; Davies, Anne; Visser, Nick (14 December 2025). "Bondi beach mass shooting: 12 people killed after gunshots fired at Sydney park hosting Jewish festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2025. At least 12 people have died, including one alleged gunman, following a mass shooting at Bondi beach, during which dozens of gunshots were fired at a park hosting a Jewish festival [...] Video seen by Guardian Australia showed two men in black clothes crossing a bridge at Bondi beach and firing. Twelve shots could be heard.
↑Kim, Victoria (14 December 2025). "Live Updates: At Least 10 Injured in Shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2025. Robert Gregory, the CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, said members of the community told him the shooting targeted a Chabad event being held at the beach. "This is an attack on the Jewish community deeply that pains us as a community," he said.
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