A calm coastline shattered by hate: antisemitic terror upends Bondi’s peaceful weekend.
The violence stretched on long enough for fleeing witnesses to shout that the shooter was reloading, scrambling for any shelter they could find. Those who could not escape were brutally killed.
“I saw children targeted,” a man who asked not to be named told the Guardian. “I saw elderly people unable to move being shot. It was a massacre. There was blood everywhere. It’s unimaginable. This doesn’t happen here. Not here.”
At least twelve people died and nearly thirty were hospitalized after a mass shooting on Sydney’s renowned Bondi Beach. The prime minister called it “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck at the heart of our nation.” Police said one alleged gunman had died, with a second in custody in critical condition. Late on Sunday, authorities were still examining information about a possible third assailant and potential further threats. An improvised explosive device found in a nearby car was later removed.
As the horror unfolded, there were remarkable moments of valor. A video captured a bystander, in white, creeping up behind a gunman from a prone position and leaping to disarm him. The armed assailant’s weapon was wrested away and pointed back at him, then laid down near a tree as the terrorist faltered. Shots rang out from another attacker on a nearby footbridge as the attack continued.
Bondi, normally a sunlit summer scene, was alive with activity: a drumming and dancing group in the northern grass, beach races, surfing lessons, dogs, family picnics, and volunteer lifeguards on patrol. The city’s mood typically leans toward a relaxed holiday tempo, especially during the Christmas break. Yet, as sunset approached, Sydney’s Jewish community gathered in a park just behind the beach to light Hanukkah candles, turning the evening into a somber observance as terrorists cast a shadow over the festival of lights.
Shortly before seven, two gunmen opened fire from an elevated bridge linking Campbell Parade to the Bondi Surf Club, unleashing a barrage on a peaceful crowd. Eyewitness accounts described a prolonged assault: some estimated five minutes, others ten, with reports of up to fifty rounds fired before the gunmen were stopped.
One attacker was killed and the other critically wounded. Police footage showed two gunmen pinned to the ground on a pedestrian bridge, their weapons discarded nearby as officers attempted to revive a wounded man.
Finn Green, who had just arrived in Bondi from Bristol, was on FaceTime with his family when the shooting began. He recalled seeing two assailants: one striking a woman on the right and the other hitting a man on the left, while crowds fled and relatives urged him to seek cover.
Abdullah Ashrof, driving along Campbell Parade, witnessed two shooters on the bridge. He described assisting others, handing out water, and tending to a police officer who had been wounded, all while blood stained his hands. He described the officer as brave and remained focused on helping him.
Another witness recalled a frightened mother with her children, trying to stay conscious as bystanders worked to help her. People fled in all directions, with many seeking shelter in toilets, eateries, or surf clubs. Diners at Icebergs restaurant initially mistook the gunfire for fireworks before realizing the danger, witnessing a panicked swarm of people fleeing.
As night fell, Bondi’s streets filled with the glow of emergency lights. Makeshift relief zones formed in surf clubs as residents prepared to support one another through the trauma.
In response, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a late-night national security meeting, describing the attack as a deliberate act targeting Jewish Australians on Hanukkah and pledging that hate, violence, and terrorism would be eradicated from the country. He affirmed that an assault on Jewish Australians is an assault on all Australians and emphasized Australia’s stance against such hatred.
Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, stated that the scenes from Bondi echo the horrors many hoped never to see locally. She underscored that an attack on a peaceful Jewish celebration is an attack on Australia’s national character and way of life, and she expressed sorrow as Hanukkah candles were lit in grief.
Additional reporting by Anne Davies.
