Terrorist attack in Sydney: people were shot at a Hanukkah celebration
14 December 2025 16:03
A shooting took place in Sydney, Australia, near Bondi Beach, where the Jewish community was gathering to celebrate Hanukkah. The attack killed at least 12 people and injured 29 others. The police classified the incident as a terrorist attack.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog said that the shooting on Sunday, December 14, at the popular Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, was aimed at the Jewish community, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“Right now, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, are under attack by vile terrorists in a brutal attack on Jews gathered on Bondi Beach to light the first Hanukkah candle,” the Duke’s office in Jerusalem quoted him as saying.
The New South Wales State Police reported that 12 people were killed, specifying that one of the two alleged shooters was among them. The second attacker is wounded and in critical condition and has been detained. Another 29 people were injured, two of whom were police officers.
A video, allegedly filmed by a bystander, is circulating on social media, showing a man neutralizing one of the attackers and then pointing a weapon at him.
A police statement posted on social media said the operation was ongoing. Law enforcement officials are urging people to avoid the area and to take cover if they are near the beach.
Alex Rivchin, one of the leaders of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, told Sky News that the attack took place during the Jewish community’s Chanukah by the Sea event. At this time, hundreds of people gathered on Bondi Beach, including many families with children.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, thousands of people took part in the Hanukkah event organized by the Jewish religious movement Chabad. It is reported that one of the victims was a Chabad envoy.
The shooting was “deliberately targeted at Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah,” said state Premier Chris Minns.
“What should have been an evening of peace and joy celebrated in this community with families and supporters has been shattered by this horrific crime,” he said at a press conference. “Our hearts bleed for the Jewish community in Australia,” Minns added, calling the attack a terrorist act.
President of the European Parliament: “This light will not go out”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was shocked by the “brutal attack.” “This is the result of the anti-Semitic riots that have taken place on the streets of Australia over the past two years and the anti-Semitic and incendiary calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ that have come to fruition today. “The Australian government, which has received countless warnings, must come to its senses!”
