A 10-year-old child is among at least 16 people killed in a terrorist attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, a place synonymous with summer, safety and celebration, now marked by grief and shock.
Hundreds of people had gathered at the world-famous beach on Sunday night to mark the first day of Hanukkah when two gunmen opened fire on the crowd. Authorities say the attack was deliberately aimed at the Jewish community.
Police have confirmed the alleged attackers were father and son.
Fourteen people died at the scene. Two others – a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man – later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 16. At least 42 people were injured, five of them critically. Three other children remain in hospital.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87.
“A devastating fact,” he said.
During the attack, multiple police officers exchanged gunfire with the two men. A constable and a probationary constable were shot and remain in hospital in serious but stable conditions.
One of the shooters, a 50-year-old man, was shot by police and died at the scene. The second, a 24-year-old man, was taken to hospital under police guard with critical injuries and remains in custody.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Layon said officers were not looking for a third offender.
“The offenders are a 50-year-old and 24-year-old male, who are father and son. The 50-year-old is deceased,” he told reporters.
Police confirmed the father had held a firearms licence for 10 years.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the death toll rose from 12 to 16 overnight, including a child and a French national. He described the attack as “absolutely horrendous”.
“This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community, but for Australians,” Mr Park told Nine News.
“What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity.”
The family of Rabbi Eli Schlanger confirmed he was among those killed. Police are continuing the process of formally identifying victims and notifying families, as devastated relatives wait for answers.
Mr Minns called for a strong and unambiguous rejection of antisemitism.
“There’s no tolerance for racism or Jewish hatred in New South Wales or Australia,” he said.
“Whether it’s destructive, horrible acts of violence, or chants, mottos and internet posts. Wherever it is, we need to fight anti-Semitism. It is toxic. It is cancerous within a community, and as you can see from last night, it leads to devastating, devastating implications for the people of our country.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened the National Security Cabinet and condemned the attack, describing the scenes at Bondi Beach as incomprehensible.
“The evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach today is beyond comprehension, and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare,” he said.
“Our first thoughts are with those in the terrible early hours of their grief.”
A bomb disposal unit was deployed after improvised explosive devices were discovered in a vehicle linked to the dead shooter. Police have raided a home in Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west as part of the investigation.
The shooting has been formally declared a terrorist incident, allowing ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police to deploy special investigative powers.
The response of policing and intelligence agencies has come under scrutiny, with witnesses reporting the shooting lasted several minutes before police intervened. ASIO later confirmed one of the alleged attackers was known to the agency, though not considered an immediate threat.
ASIO has committed to reviewing the matter and searching for others who may be plotting similar attacks, while stressing there is no indication of further imminent threats.
World leaders have reacted with shock and condemnation. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the “heart of the entire nation … misses a beat” as he offered prayers for the wounded and the dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called antisemitism “a cancer” and renewed his criticism of Australian authorities, urging stronger action against hate. Leaders from other nations also expressed solidarity with Australia, highlighting the international concern over attacks targeting Jewish communities.
As daylight returned to Bondi Beach, flowers, candles and handwritten notes began to appear along the foreshore – quiet tributes to lives lost at a place meant for joy, now carrying the weight of a nation’s sorrow.
Images: X (Formerly Twitter)
