Bondi Beach shooting: Terror attack at Australia Hanukkah event kills at least 15

At least 11 killed in attack on Sydney Hanukkah event

Two gunmen attacked a Hannukah celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

At least 16 people were shot and killed Sunday during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. 

Authorities have declared it a terrorist attack.

Bondi Beach shooting suspects

What we know:

There were two shooters in the attack, police said. One gunman, a 50-year-old man, was fatally shot by police. The other shooter, his 24-year-old son, was wounded and was being treated at a hospital, officials said.

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The second suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. 

A member of the Jewish community reacts as he walks with police towards the scene of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)

Investigators said one of the gunmen was known to the security services, but that there had been no specific threat.

What we don't know:

Neither suspect has been identified. 

Bondi Beach shooting latest

The shooting happened around 6:45 p.m. at one of Australia’s most popular and iconic beaches, where hundreds were gathered for Chanukah by the Sea to celebrate the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival. Authorities initially said 11 people were killed, but the death toll later rose to 16.

Witness videos appeared to show two gunmen with long guns shooting from a bridge. One dramatic video showed someone appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen before pointing the man’s weapon at him.

At least 29 people were injured, including two police officers.

What they're saying:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared it "an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation."

Big picture view:

A wave of antisemitic attacks have happened in Australia over the past year, although officials didn’t say they were connected to Sunday’s shooting.

The backstory:

Australia, a country of 28 million people, is home to about 117,000 Jews, according to official figures. Antisemitic incidents including assaults, vandalism, threats and intimidation surged more than threefold in the country during the year after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

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Throughout last summer, the country was rocked by spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Synagogues and cars were torched, businesses and homes graffitied and Jews attacked in those cities, where 85% of the nation’s Jewish population live.

Mass shootings in Australia are extremely rare. Following a 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where 35 people were killed, the government drastically tightened gun laws and made it much more difficult for Australians to own guns.