Father–Son Terror Attack Kills 15 at Bondi Beach

Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed in a shooting at Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia, during a Hanukkah celebration. Authorities confirmed the gunmen were father and son, aged 50 and 24. The father was killed at the scene, while the son remains in critical condition in hospital.

Forty-two others, including two police officers, were injured in the attack. The victims’ ages ranged from 10 to 87. Among those killed was Eli Schlanger, a British-born assistant Rabbi, and Dan Elkayam, a foreign national.

Police said the father was a licensed gun owner with six firearms, and investigators recovered six guns from the scene, along with two improvised explosive devices that were safely removed. The attack is being treated as an act of terrorism targeting Sydney’s Jewish community on the first night of Hanukkah.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, and an act of terrorism.” Australian officials, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, called for national unity and condemned the attack. International leaders, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, also condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and horror as gunfire erupted, with hundreds fleeing the waterfront. A bystander heroically disarmed one of the shooters and was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Police and emergency responders continue their investigation.