At least 11 people have died this Sunday from the shooting of two individuals on Bondi beach, in the Australian city of Sydney, as reported by the New South Wales State Police. The attack, carried out while dozens of people were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, has injured another 11 people. According to information from the authorities, who have described the event as “terrorist”, one of the two assailants has died, while the other is in critical condition after being wounded by gunshots. His identity is unknown at the moment. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that the target of the attack was “Australian Jews”.
UPDATE: A police operation is ongoing after a public place shooting by two men at Bondi Beach earlier today.
Ten people have been confirmed dead, including a man believed to be one of the shooters. The second alleged shooter is in a critical condition.
At this time, a further… https://t.co/lekTjxqf85
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) December 14, 2025
The Australian police reported around seven in the afternoon, local time (10 hours less in mainland Spain), that a shooting was taking place on Bondi beach and urged citizens to avoid the area. Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles immediately arrived at the scene, while the assault by the two men continued and hundreds of people ran to seek shelter away from the shooting.
“I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” has declared to the newspaper Sidney Morning Herald Harry Wilsona 30-year-old local resident who witnessed the shooting. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Judaism, confirmed to Sky News in an interview that the shooting occurred during a beach event celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which began at sunset. “This is the Jewish community at its finest, coming together to celebrate a joyous occasion. If we were deliberately attacked like this, it’s on a magnitude that none of us could have imagined. It’s a horrible thing,” Ryvchin continued.
Images circulating online show at least a dozen people being treated and receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a green area next to the beach entrances. Some of them already have a piece of clothing over their face as a sign that they have already lost their lives. “We know there were many people there to celebrate a happy occasion: the celebration of Hanukkah,” said NSW Commissioner Mal Lanyon. “And there were over 1,000 people there when this occurred. As a result of the circumstances of tonight’s incident, I declare this a terrorist incident.”
In several videos circulating on the internet, recorded a few minutes earlier from outside, two individuals armed with rifles are seen shooting from a small entrance bridge to the beach. One dresses completely in black; the other, with a dark t-shirt and white pants. At one point in the recording, the two shooters unlock their rifles together. In another, the individuals are separated. A citizen grabs one of them, the one in light-colored pants, from behind and manages to snatch his weapon. Shortly after, the attacker who remains on the bridge is hit by gunfire. These two men are the ones subsequently arrested by Australian police.
“Anyone at the scene should take shelter,” the New South Wales police posted on network With the two assailants neutralized, authorities reported that the risk from the attack had persisted.
However, police have reported that they were investigating several possible improvised devices and the possibility that a third person was involved in the attack.
The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has been informed at all times about the development of the incident, as confirmed by a spokesperson to ABC. The head of government issued a first statement in which he regretted the “shocking and distressing scenes” that have come from Bondi. He subsequently convened the country’s national security council and condemned the attack, stating that the evil unleashed was incomprehensible.
“This is a targeted attack against Australian Jews on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” declared the Australian head of government. “At this very difficult time for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to identify anyone related to this attack.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Jews who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by “vile terrorists.” Australia has suffered anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed shock at the shooting. “These are the results of the anti-Semitic carnage on the streets of Australia over the past two years, with anti-Semitic and inciting calls to ‘Globalize the Intifada’ becoming a reality today.” One of the most famous beaches in the world, Bondi is frequented by locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend nights.
