At least 12 people were killed and 29 people were hospitalized in a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday evening, authorities said.
The annual celebration, known as “Chanukah By The Sea,” would begin at 5 p.m. to mark the first day of the Jewish holiday by lighting the first candle on the Menorah. Police say the attack “targeted” the Jewish community and is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
The New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) said officers responded to reports of shots fired at around 6.45pm on Sunday. Police say at least two gunmen were involved in the attack and are investigating the possibility of a third. Twelve people were killed in the shooting, including one of the two suspected shooters, police said. The second alleged shooter is in critical condition.
At least 29 others were hospitalized after the shooting, including two police officers, the agency confirmed. The shooting is the worst attack on Jews since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.
ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKERS DESTROY SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA
An investigation is underway after a deadly attack at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
Police added that they found evidence of multiple improvised explosive devices in a vehicle near the scene of the attack.
“We have our bomb rescue unit working there at the moment,” he said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged the attack while speaking at an event in Jerusalem where he recognized the extraordinary achievements of immigrants on Sunday.
“At these moments, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vicious terrorists in a most brutal attack on Jews as they went to light the first candle of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach,” Herzog said. “Our hearts go out to them. The hearts of the entire nation of Israel skip a beat at this moment as we pray for the recovery of the injured, we pray for them and we pray for those who have lost their lives.”
AUSTRALIA’S JEWISH COMMUNITY ALARMED BY INCREASING ANTISEMITISM: ‘FEAR AND ANXIETY’
A healthcare worker moves a stretcher after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 14, 2025. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)
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Herzog also called on the Australian government to “take action and fight against the massive wave of anti-Semitism sweeping Australian society.”
