Two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish event in Bondi Beach, Australia, on Sunday, the first day of Hanukkah, killing at least 15 people and also resulting in the death of one gunman.
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said a 10-year-old was among the dead, with three other children being treated at a hospital.
Police said the gunmen were a 50-year-old father, who died at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, who was critically injured.
Reports of gunfire came in around 6:47 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time at the Chabad of Bondi’s annual “Chanukah by the Sea” event on the public beach near a children’s playground. The event included the lighting of a grand menorah to mark the start of the eight-day Jewish holiday.
New South Wales Police officers responded to the gunfire, and at least two officers were injured during the incident. Another 40 people, including one of the gunmen, were hospitalized.
Police reportedly found “a number of suspicious items located in the vicinity” that were later revealed to be improvised explosive devices. While police are urging the public to avoid the area, “there have been NO reports of any other incidents in Sydney connected to this incident,” according to the New South Wales police department.
One bystander, identified as 43-year-old fruit shop owner Ahmed el Ahmed, was captured on video disarming one of the gunmen. Ahmed tackled the gunman from behind as he was aiming to fire. As he fell down, he dropped his weapon, which appeared to be a rifle, and Ahmed grabbed the gun and aimed it at the gunman.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese referred to the mass shooting as a “terrorist incident” and a “targeted attack against Jewish Australians.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment, writing on X that “the United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration. Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast blame on Albanese in remarks on Sunday, saying he had written to the prime minister on Aug. 17, “warning that the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia,” citing Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state, and saying Albanese “did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing” in the country.
Netanyahu praised the “brave” bystander who disarmed one of the gunmen, saying, “I salute him.”
In Australia, aspiring gun owners must provide a reason before registering a firearm. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said in a press conference that officers are unaware of how the gunmen acquired the weapons or where they came from.
Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia Jillian Segal reported in July that antisemitic incidents had increased by 316% since October 2023. There were over 2,000 cases of Jewish people being attacked, their synagogues and cars set ablaze, and their homes and businesses graffitied in that time.
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Albanese cut diplomatic ties with Iran in August over the targeted attacks. Officials have not implicated Iran in Sunday’s attack.
The Jewish population in Australia is over 116,000, with 85% concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, the sites of the two firebomb attacks over the summer.
