The shooting took place during the annual ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ event, which police said was attended by more than a thousand people at one of Australia’s most popular and crowded beaches. Emergency services responded to reports of gunfire at 6:47pm local time.
Initially, New South Wales police said at least 29 people were rushed to nearby hospitals from the beach. One of the alleged gunmen was killed at the scene, while a second suspect was critically injured, authorities said.
Later in the early hours of Monday, police gave an updated death toll, confirming that 16 people were killed and at least 40 others injured in a shooting, who remain in hospital. The police statement did not specify whether the toll included one of the shooters, who died in the attack.
Police declared the incident a “terrorist” attack and said suspected improvised explosive devices had been found inside a vehicle near the beach that was linked to the deceased suspect.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah. “This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Albanese said
“An act of evil, anti-semitism, terrorism has struck the heart of our nation. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added, while praising ordinary citizens who intervened during the attack as “heroes”.
As gunfire erupted, crowds fled in panic from the beach in eastern Sydney, which is typically packed with swimmers, surfers and tourists, especially at weekends. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as people ran for safety.
“We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon,” a 25-year-old student from Chile, told AFP at the scene. Another witness said he saw six dead or wounded people lying on the beach following the shooting.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing discarded items strewn across the grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach, including towels, bags and an abandoned children’s stroller left behind by people fleeing the area.
Paramedics were seen tending to wounded people lying on the grass, according to images broadcast by public broadcaster ABC. A weapon that appeared to be a pump-action shotgun was lying by a tree near the beach.
British tourist Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP he saw “two shooters in black” after the gunfire broke out. “There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles,” he said, adding that he saw multiple people who had been shot and wounded.
Another British tourist said he witnessed people dragging children away from the beach as shots rang out. “People were dragging their kids away, there were something like 40 shots. It sounded like fireworks,” said Bianca, a 26-year-old Sydney teacher.
As evening fell, the normally lively area around Bondi Beach was cleared as armed police cordoned off streets and emergency sirens replaced the usual sounds of nightlife. Hours later, the beach was largely deserted.
Video footage circulating on social media showed a man grappling with one of the gunmen, wresting the weapon away and pointing it at the attacker, who appeared to retreat. Local media identified the man as 43-year-old fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed.
Australia’s 7News reported that he suffered two gunshot wounds. A man identified as his cousin, Mustapha, told the outlet that Ahmed was hospitalised. “He’s in hospital and we don’t know exactly what’s going on inside,” he said. “We do hope he will be fine. He’s a hero 100 per cent.”
Prime Minister Albanese also hailed Ahmed and others who intervened as “heroes”, saying their actions may have saved lives. Australian authorities said investigations were ongoing, while police continued to secure the area and urged the public to follow official guidance.
World leaders expressed shock and condemnation. King Charles III said he was “appalled” by what he described as a “most dreadful anti-semitic terrorist attack on Jewish people”. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the news from Australia as “deeply distressing”.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said anti-semitism had no place in the world. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” by an “appalling act of violence”, adding Europe stood with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, saying France would fight relentlessly against anti-semitic hatred. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed profound grief.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran condemned the violent attack, adding that the killing of human beings anywhere was rejected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country stood in solidarity with Australia following the attack.
In Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the shooting, conveying condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, including police personnel.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed condolences, saying Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and stood in solidarity with the people and government of Australia.
A major Australian Muslim organisation also condemned the shooting as “horrific”, while the head of the Australian Jewish Association described the attack as a tragedy, saying the government had been warned about threats to the Jewish community.