10+ killed at Jewish event in Sydney
Shafaq News – Canberra
On Sunday, at least 12 people were killed and nearly 30 wounded when gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, local media reported.
Hanukkah, in the Jewish faith, is an eight-day festival celebrating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days.
Witnesses told local media that the shooting lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people fleeing along the beach and into nearby streets and parks.
Describing the shooting as “a terrorist attack,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed in a press conference that one suspected gunman was killed while another remains in critical condition.
“Police are also investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting,” he added, noting that around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quickly convened the country's National Security Council, condemning the attack and describing the violence as "beyond comprehension."
"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," he said. "At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to identify anyone associated with this outrage."
My statement on the Bondi shooting attack. pic.twitter.com/LRAbMpcUEm
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 14, 2025
Mass shootings are rare in Australia, one of the world's safest countries. Sunday's attack marked the deadliest such incident in the country since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at a tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania.
