12 dead after two gunmen open fire in Bondi Beach, targeting Australia’s Jewish community

At least 12 people have been killed and around a dozen wounded after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah party, a Jewish holiday event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday.

More than 50 gunshots were heard as hundreds of people fled the scene in Sydney at around 6:40pm local time on Sunday. Police said one of the alleged shooters was killed, while a second remains in critical condition.

Videos circulating online show two men dressed in black firing rifles toward the beach from a nearby car park as sirens sound in the distance. One of the gunmen is tackled by a bystander before retreating to a bridge to retrieve another weapon.

BREAKING 🚨🚨#Sydney / #Australia

Graphic video of shooters firing on the crowd at Bondi Beach pic.twitter.com/FlxdvHMo31

— OC Scanner 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@OC_Scanner) December 14, 2025

One suspected gunman was dead and the other in a critical condition, while 11 injured people were taken to local hospitals, police in New South Wales state said. Two police officers were also among the injured.

 

Australia has experienced a string of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

 

Witnesses said the shooting at the famed beach on a hot summer's evening lasted about 10 minutes, sending beachgoers scattering along the sand and into nearby streets and parks.

 

ISRAEL CRITICISES AUSTRALIA

"I was just getting ready to go home, and, like, I was packing my bag, got my flip-flops, was ready to catch my bus, and then I started hearing the shots," said a witness who gave his name only as Marcus.

 

"We all panicked and started running as well. So we left everything behind, like flip-flops, everything. We just ran through the hill," he said. "I must have heard, I don't know, maybe, like, 40, 50 shots."

 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident "shocking and distressing", adding that "emergency responders are on the ground and working to save lives".

 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by "vile terrorists".

 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting and that Australia's government must "come to its senses" after countless warnings.

 

"These are the results of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the antisemitic and inciting calls of 'Globalise the Intifada' that were realised today."

 

One of the world's most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists. "If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it's something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It's a horrific thing," Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News, adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack.

 

MASS SHOOTINGS RARE IN AUSTRALIA

Muslim groups condemned the shooting. "These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society. Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law," the Australian National Imams Council, the Council of Imams NSW and the Australian Muslim community said in a statement.

 

"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack."

 

Mass shootings are rare in Australia, one of the world's safest countries. The death toll in Sunday's attack makes it the worst such incident in the country since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at a tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania.

 

Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled the weapon off him. Another man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge.

 

Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.

 

The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.

 

"Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi," said Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia's opposition Liberal Party.

Bomb Threat and Explosive Device Found

Police continued to urge the public to avoid Bondi Beach even after the two assailants were neutralised. Authorities reported a bomb threat in the area and worked to disarm what they described as an improvised explosive device (IED).

New South Wales Police posted on X, warning: “Anyone in the area should seek shelter.” Videos shared on X appeared to show people fleeing Bondi Beach as gunshots and police sirens sounded.

Official Statements and International Reaction

“The police operation is continuing, and we still call on citizens to avoid the area,” New South Wales Police posted on X. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that police fire wounded one alleged perpetrator, and officers arrested the other.

A spokesperson for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “We have been informed of an evolving security situation in Bondi. We urge people in the area to follow updates from New South Wales Police.”

Amir Maimon, Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, told Channel 12 News that the final death toll in Sydney would be “higher than reported.” While Maimon stated that, after speaking with Australian authorities, there was no specific intelligence regarding an imminent attack, he confirmed that warnings about the potential for terror attacks existed. Maimon added that since October 7th, they had witnessed an array of anti-Semitic acts which had “only intensified.” He publicly stated that he would not have been surprised “if I woke up one morning and learned that a Jew had suffered bodily harm.” The Ambassador concluded that he felt “shocked by this mass murder and by the Australian government’s inability to prevent it.”