From across the Tasman, New Zealanders watched in horror today as news broke of a brutal terrorist attack on Sydney’s world-famous Bondi Beach, a place many Kiwis know well from holidays and family ties. At least 10 people were killed – including one of the shooters – and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire on a crowded public event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
The attack unfolded in the late afternoon at Bondi Beach Park, during a family-friendly “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering organised by Chabad of Bondi. Around 2,000 people, many of them families with young children, had come together to light the menorah and mark the Jewish Festival of Lights – a celebration of hope and resilience.
Instead, they were met with terror as the gunmen, dressed in black, fired dozens of shots from an elevated position near a pedestrian bridge overlooking the park and parking area.
Witnesses say the Sydney shooters shouted “Allahu Akbar” after each shot.
Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of utter chaos: parents grabbing children and fleeing over barricades as gunfire echoed across the beach.
One brave bystander was captured on video disarming one of the attackers, while police quickly neutralised the threat, killing one gunman and taking another into custody in critical condition.
Preliminary reports from law enforcement sources and community leaders point strongly to an Islamist jihadi motive. One of the identified suspects is reported to be Narveed Akram, a resident of Sydney’s south-west suburbs with known radical associations.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the attackers as “vile terrorists” targeting Jews on a sacred holiday, while former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett blamed “failed and weak leadership on antisemitism.” Jewish community figures in Australia have been unequivocal: this was a deliberate, targeted assault on the Jewish community at its most joyous.
This attack comes against a backdrop of escalating antisemitism in Australia since the October 7, 2023, Hamas atrocities. Pro-Hamas rallies in Sydney and Melbourne have often featured inflammatory rhetoric, chants glorifying violence against Jews, and open support for terrorist groups.
While organisers claim these are “peaceful protests,” the narrative of hate they have normalised cannot be divorced from incidents like today’s. When crowds march waving flags of banned terrorist organisations and downplaying or celebrating Hamas’s actions, it creates an environment where radicalised individuals feel emboldened to act.
Compounding this is the Australian Labor government’s progressive immigration and multiculturalism policies, which critics argue have been too lax on vetting and integration. High migration from regions with prevalent Islamist extremism, combined with a reluctance to confront radical preaching in some communities, has allowed dangerous elements to embed themselves.
The Albanese administration’s soft stance on the Gaza conflict – including recognising Palestinian statehood aspirations without sufficient safeguards – has been accused of signalling weakness to extremists, further fuelling the climate of hate.
Condolences have poured in from around the world, including from New Zealand’s leaders, who emphasised the familial bonds between the two nations. Australia’s Jewish community, along with victims’ families and first responders, remain in the thoughts of many as investigations continue.
Australia has faced tragedy before and emerged resilient, but this attack raises profound questions about societal divisions, policy failures, and the need to confront rising hate head-on to avert future horrors.
Am Yisrael Chai. Australia and New Zealand stand united against terror.
