A father and son opened fire on crowds at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, killing 15 people and injuring 42 others during a Hanukkah celebration. The attack targeted the Jewish community, with victims including a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor, and a local rabbi. Police shot and killed the 50-year-old father after a 10-minute shooting spree, while the 24-year-old son was arrested and remains under guard in hospital with serious injuries.
Authorities discovered a homemade bomb in a car near the beach, believed to have been planted by the pair. The public broadcaster ABC reported possible links to the Islamic State group, though police have not confirmed the attackers’ religion or motivations to avoid reprisals.
Australia Responds with Gun Law Reforms
In response to the Bondi Beach attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting with state and territory leaders on 15 December 2025. They agreed to strengthen gun laws nationwide, including improved background checks for firearm owners, barring non-nationals from obtaining licenses, and limiting legal weapon types.
Mass shootings remain rare in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which killed 35 people and led to reforms like a gun buyback scheme and a national firearms register. The Bondi Beach attack has reignited debates on firearm access. Albanese described the incident as “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores,” according to AFP.
A string of antisemitic attacks has heightened fears in Australia’s Jewish communities since the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel and the Gaza war. The Australian government expelled Iran’s ambassador nearly four months ago, accusing Tehran of orchestrating recent antisemitic incidents.
Global Leaders Condemn the Violence
Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims during a Vatican audience on 15 December 2025, stating: “Enough of these forms of anti-Semitic violence — we must eliminate the hatred in our hearts,” as reported by AFP.
US President Donald Trump condemned the “antisemitic attack.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia’s government of “pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism” in a letter to Albanese, referencing Canberra’s August 2025 recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, whose brother-in-law died in the attack, said: “We need to hold strong. This is not the Australia that we know. This is not the Australia that we want,” per AFP. Police reported misinformation online targeting immigrants and Muslims, including pig heads left at a Sydney Muslim cemetery on 15 December 2025.
Acts of bravery emerged, with fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed wrestling a gun from one attacker, and off-duty lifeguards rescuing children under fire.
A memorial at Bondi Beach grew on 15 December 2025, where mourners lit a menorah and sang in tribute.
