Bondi Beach Terror Attack Kills 16, Targets Jewish Community During Hanukkah
Sixteen people have been killed and dozens injured in a terrorist attack at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah festival. The incident specifically targeted Sydney’s Jewish community and has raised serious questions about the Albanese government’s security and immigration policies.
At least sixteen people have been killed and dozens more injured in a terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, marking Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
One shooter was killed at the scene, while another, reported to be 24-year-old Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest, is in custody.
ASIO Chief Mike Burgess confirmed that one of the terrorists was known to the agency, though “not in an immediate-threat perspective”.
Authorities are investigating whether a third perpetrator was involved.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has declared the incident a terrorist attack.
“We know that there were many people there to celebrate a happy occasion — the celebration of Hanukkah. And there [were] well over 1,000 people there when this took place. As a result of the circumstances of the incident tonight, I declared this to be a terrorist incident,” he said.
Emergency services have transported 29 people, including two police officers in a serious condition, to hospitals across Sydney.
Police discovered a possible explosive device under a footbridge from which the shooters were filmed firing and examined the vehicles the attackers arrived in to ensure there were no further threats.
Incredible footage from the scene showed a civilian crouching behind a car before rushing one of the shooters, tackling him in a headlock and seizing his shotgun after a struggle that lasted around five seconds.
The hero has since been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, a local fruit shop owner.
The man who wrestled a firearm from an alleged gunman at Bondi Beach has been identified by Seven News as a 43-year-old Sutherland fruit-shop owner.
Seven News reports he was shot twice, in his hand and shoulder. He was in surgery on Sunday night.
A relative told Seven news the… pic.twitter.com/oA4NDvECAb
— The Australian (@australian) December 14, 2025
Jewish Community Targeted
Authorities have made it clear that the attack specifically targeted the Jewish community during a public festival.
According to Premier Chris Minns, “On the first day of Hanukkah, what should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families and supporters, has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack.”
He called on all Australians to support the Jewish community in their grief and indicated that a significant police and public order response has been mobilised.
The event, known as “Chanukah by the Sea”, was organised by the Chabad of Bondi near the Bondi Park playground. Attendees had gathered for a menorah lighting ceremony and community celebrations when the shooters opened fire.
Hanukkah itself commemorates the 2nd-century BC Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, which sought to suppress Jewish religious practices and desecrate the Temple in Jerusalem, and is observed as an ongoing symbol of Jewish resilience, survival and identity.
Notably, neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke recognised that the attack targeted Jewish Australians or offered reassurance to the Jewish community in their initial comments on the event.
In a follow-up address, a visibly rattled Mr Albanese provided comments on both, and praised first responders and members of their public for their “bravery [that] has saved lives”.
My statement on the Bondi shooting attack. pic.twitter.com/LRAbMpcUEm
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 14, 2025
Police have confirmed that Naveed Akram is a resident of Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest.
While his precise background has not been officially verified, the name has strong associations with Pakistan’s Punjab region, a predominantly Muslim area long monitored by international counter-terrorism experts for its high concentration of Islamist groups.
Voices Condemning the Attack
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, described the Bondi tragedy as “entirely foreseeable”.
“The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community,” he said in a public statement.
“Tonight, many Jews are pondering whether they have a future in Australia. Our thoughts are with our community and all the impacted, some of whom we are close to.”
Speaking with The Daily Declaration, Kym Farnik, National Prayer Director of the Canberra Declaration, asked: “Will the PM start deporting all radical Islamists? They are 100% incompatible with Australian values.”
He added, “We MUST stand against the evil of antisemitism. I call on our government and its pro-Palestine leftist agenda to account for this horrible massacre.” Farnik concluded: “Real Australians stand with Israel and the Jewish community.”
Senator Pauline Hanson, leader of One Nation and long-time advocate for national security, condemned the attack and called for greater protection of Australia’s Jewish community.
“Today is an extremely dark day for our nation, particularly the Australian Jewish community, which appears to be the target of this terrorist attack,” she said in a statement.
“The Prime Minister never heeded the warning signs, including the weekly anti-Semitic protests across our nation, hate speech from certain religious clerics, our obnoxious universities and probable terrorist alert,” Senator Hanson added.
“I stand with Australia’s Jewish community, who tonight deserve our absolute solace. You have the same right to live in peace and harmony as all Australians. Authorities must be honest when revealing the identities and backgrounds of these murderers.”
Bob Katter, Member of Parliament for the rural Queensland electorate of Kennedy and an outspoken critic of Labor’s immigration policy, also spoke out in support of Jewish Australians.
“As the details of this horrific event continue to come to light, my heart goes out to the Australian Jewish families who were enjoying Hanukkah under the Australian sun this afternoon,” he said in a statement.
“To the first responders and others caught in the event. Words cannot describe how courageous you have been.”
“It does seem clear that this is an ANTISEMITIC ATTACK — likely undertaken by pro-Palestinian radicals,” he continued, adding, “The ALP and LNP have a lot to answer for. THEY allowed these people into our country. THEY allowed them to bring with them their hatred and wars. THEY allowed them to freely burn our flag and make anti-Australian and anti-Semitic statements.”
Australia’s Security Questioned
The Bondi attack has intensified scrutiny of the Albanese government’s immigration and security policies.
According to a recent Institute of Public Affairs report, net permanent arrivals recently reached 379,870 — the highest on record — with twelve-month totals hitting 467,410. The report warned that continued rapid migration is straining housing, infrastructure and social cohesion.
Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph recently reported that the Albanese government awarded nearly $30 million to an Islamic organisation whose top cleric publicly urged Muslims to wage jihad and fund fighters against Israel.
The funding was provided to the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) under the “Security Uplifts for Muslim Communities in Australia Program.” It was granted through a closed, non-competitive process in which no other organisation was allowed to apply, and without any government announcement.
Weeks prior to receiving the grant, Ibrahim Abu Mohamad, ANIC’s top cleric and chairman of the Australian Fatwa Council, joined in issuing a ruling from the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) urging “jihad” against Israel.
According to a recent poll, two-thirds of Australian voters want a pause on immigration to address the housing shortage, while 60 per cent, including 54 per cent of Labor voters, support restricting permanent migration only to people with skills Australia needs.
Appeal for the Bondi Terrorist Attack Victims
Celebrate Israel, in partnership with the Canberra Declaration and other supporters, have organised a relief fund appeal for the victims and families of the Sydney Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
Our giving team is called Celebrate Israel Australia on the platform and is part of a much larger appeal run on the Charidy giving website. All donations are tax-deductible and will be administrated by the Jewish United Support Fund.
The relief fund will provide direct financial support, helping families begin to rebuild their lives after this tragedy. Assistance is especially needed to cover essential commitments when the family’s primary breadwinner has been killed. Find out more about this appeal on The Daily Declaration here.
Please stand alongside the Jewish community as a visible demonstration of God’s love to them at this critical time of need. So far, far, as of writing, over $17,000 has already been donated, and we prayerfully seeking to raise $100,000.
Please share this appeal button with your church networks and friends.
Give by clicking the green button below.
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Thanks Kurt praying,that our Government is corrected and changes bad policy or….election happens
Kurt, horrific, diabolical, inexcusable. A nation’s government first priority is to keep their people safe. Our leadership has failed and must hang their head in shame. Yes we can target our condemnation on the perpetrators, but we all know why this has been allowed to happen, Australia is now a soft target. Is it any wonder that some Jews will be researching the practicalities of aliyah this morning (returning to Israel). The parallels with WW2 Germany are getting too frequent and similar.
Words fail me.
How could the our PM shed crocodile tears while having recently and secretly given $30,000,000 to an Australian group calling for Jihad against Israel?
The blame and there is blame to be had for this lies firstly with Chris Minns and his inept police commissioner not dealing with the protests (or more correctly intimidation demonstrations) on the steps of the Opera house. Secondly there is Albo and Burke who have obfuscated and deflected any reasonable action to hold to account the islamic groups who are continually crying out for Jihad against Jews. Obviously votes are more important than the Jewish community or national social cohesion. Thirdly there is the judiciary who have allowed on going marches which are purely markers of escalating intimidation. Special mention must be given to the activist judge that allowed the Sydney Harbour Bridge march it was unforgivable . Also ASIO and the Federal Police have been saying they are concerned about the far right who lets be honest constitute a couple of hundred nut jobs across Australia in contrast to tens of thousands of pro-hamas supporters and muftis using inflammatory language and intimidatory events across our nation for over two years. Finally is the Universities that perpetuate anti-semism in their courses and all the vice chancellors that allowed the anti-jewish camps and demonstration to fester for months. Finally there is the Church in Australia who have basically said nothing. There is a culture war that has been going on for decades and this is the first overt strategic step in that war. This is not going to go away unless the ordinary people stand up and say enough and recognise that there are ideologies that are incompatible with the West’s Judeo-Christian value system which has produce the most free, healthy, equitable and stable society that has ever existed. It is not perfect but it is light years ahead of anything else that has ever exist.
Our Govt has emboldened these types, remember OCT 7, it took days to hear anything from the PM. Remember he even went to a mosque and was there when then prayed, and the head one there was openly hostile against the Jews.
They allow masked Hamas Palestinian sympathisers to march through the streets chanting “gas the jews” “kill the jews” “kill the IDF”. The PM then recognises the Terrorist state drawing condemnation from Israel and the US and “praise” from Hamas. He steps off a plane wearing an antisemitic TShirt with 2 direct refences to the Nazi death camp sections where they raped Jewish women and girls.
He’s an utter disgrace and deserves all the condemnation that Israel and the US have heaped upon him.
I pray for him, that God wakes up his conscience and he gets saved, and that some Godly leader can step up and take his place. But he has failed miserably the Jewish community here and Australia as a whole. He’s morally unfit to serve.
Pray for him to change.
My prayers are for all those affected by this horrific attack on our Jewish communities and others caught up in this evil.
Broken hearted! Grieving with and for our Jewish people. Grieving the loss of the nation as it was.
I have three questions regarding the Islamists attack on Bondi Chanukkah Jewish family celebration.
Will the PM start deporting all radical Islamists?
Note they are 100% incompatible with Aussie values.
Where were the police/security?
What about illegal weapons with the Islamic community?
We MUST stand against the evil of antisemitism.
I call our governments pro-Palestine leftist agenda to account for this horrible massacre.
Real Aussies stand with Israel and the Jewish community.
The Aussie Prime Minister (Anthony Albanese aka Albo) was WARNED by Mossad and our Government did NOTHING to increase security.
Albo must shoulder responsibility for this terror/horror.
https://dailydeclaration.org.au/2025/12/15/bondi-terror-jewish-hanukkah/
Bondi update
16 people are now dead, including a 10 year old girl. Oldest is 87 years old.
42 people are injured, 5 in a critical condition – 4 children were transferred to hospital.
This rabid pogrom against Australian (and other) Jews is disgusting. The comments above make several valid observations so no need to repeat them. One warrants a little amplification. Australian churches — certainly their leadership — have supported Hamas. The UCA sheds a handful of crocodile tears, likewise the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide. The blood libel dating from October 2023 of the now-retired Anglican Primate remains on an Anglican media website.
One further point, or rather question: will Prime Minister Albanese announce a national day of mourning for the victims of the pogrom?
Praying our freedom of speech to hit the reality of these atrocities is never silenced now or treated as hate speech or villification against a people’s group
Praying common sense prevails,that such
hatred and murder has no place in the hearts of Australians We don’t want this horror here
The government must hear the heart cries of all peace loving Australians to listen and act on our behalf
Government incompetence intended or mistakenly has now become our national shame
Praying dear Lord hear our prayers for peace and safety and for all peoples to wake up to the fact
“There is no real peace without the Prince of Peace”
My children and I were at a NSW beach this past week. I am 8th generation Australian, my children are 9th generation Australian. It could have been us too that were gunned down on a happy Summer School Holiday. Regardless of which nationality or faith group present, they are our responsibility … both to protect immigrants and us Aussies. No radical or Muslim group should be allowed to live in Australia if they are training to do jihad here. If they want to kill others they loose their Australian citizenship and any rights to come here again, that includes religious leaders who teach their people to kill or physically harm others. In addition immigration of that religious group be stopped immediately.