On the first day of Hanukkah, two gunmen opened fire on families celebrating the Jewish festival at Australia's iconic Bondi Beach. Twelve are dead, including one attacker. A man filmed wrestling a gun from a shooter is being called a hero who saved countless lives. It's Australia's deadliest attack since 1996—and authorities are calling it terrorism.
The shooting broke out at 6:47 PM local time on Sunday evening, as over 1,000 people gathered on Bondi Beach to mark the first day of Hanukkah. Families with children, community members, and tourists had joined for "Chanuka by the Sea 2025"—a event featuring live entertainment and activities arranged by Chabad of Bondi.
Then two gunmen appeared on a small bridge crossing from Campbell Parade toward the beach and started shooting into the crowd.
In a matter of minutes, twelve people were dead, including one of the attackers. Twenty-nine others were taken to hospitals. Two police officers were shot. And verified video captured a civilian hero sneaking up on one gunman and wrestling away his weapon in an act of extraordinary courage that authorities say saved numerous lives.
Now, as an exclusion zone encapsulates the scene and specialists verify whether a car associated with the deceased gunman contains improvised explosive devices, Australia comes to a harrowing realization: the country's deadliest mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre 29 years prior was a terror attack against the Jewish community on one of their holiest holidays.
The Attack Unfolds: Chaos on an Iconic Beach
In Sydney's east, Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most recognizable landmarks: a crescent of golden sand that draws millions of visitors each year and represents the very image of Australian beach culture.
On Sunday evening, it became a killing ground.
Barry told the BBC he was at the Hanukkah event with his children when he heard shots and looked up to see two men on a bridge firing toward the crowd. Bodies fell to the ground around him. He grabbed his children and with the assistance of a friend, managed to get into a car and flee the scene as hundreds of others ran for their lives.
Video verified by the BBC shows the terror as it unfolded. Two gunmen can be seen firing from the small bridge that connects the Campbell Parade car park to the beach itself—positioned directly above where families had gathered for the celebration scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM.
The "Chanuka by the Sea 2025" digital flyer had promised "live entertainment and activities for all ages" adjacent to the beach's children's playground. Instead, it became the site of Australia's first major terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community.
The New South Wales Police also said they were called to reports of gunfire at about 6.47 pm local time, which is 7.47 am GMT. Initial statements, which have been posted to social media, encouraged people in the area to take cover immediately and warned the public to avoid the area altogether.
On Sunday, local media began reporting people "on the ground" near Campbell Parade—the term used as a way of dancing around news that is too grievous to report until absolutely confirmed.
The Hero Who Wrestled Away a Gun
It was in the middle of the carnage and chaos that one man stood out-acting outrageously.
An eerie scene unfolds in video footage as a civilian comes up from behind and grabs the attacker in a bear hug on the bridge, once again wresting the weapon away from his hands.
The attacker now disarmed retreats backward toward the bridge where the second gunman continues firing. In the continuing video, another man appears injured and flees just as a police officer arrives and opens fire at attackers.
Chris Minns, the New South Wales Premier, paid tribute to the unnamed hero in a press conference.
"That man is a genuine hero, and I've got no doubt there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," Minns said, his voice heavy with emotion.
The act represents the kind of split-second decision that defines heroism—recognizing mortal danger and running toward it anyway, because others need help. In a situation where every second meant more potential victims, disarming one shooter likely prevented additional casualties.
A separate verified video shows several police officers on the same bridge. One appears to be administering CPR on a motionless man as somebody shouts "he's dead, he's dead"—grim confirmation that at least one attacker had been neutralized but that the human cost was already catastrophic.
The Toll: Twelve Dead, Twenty-Nine Hospitalized
According to the most recent updates available, twelve were declared dead including one of the gunmen; while the other was in critical condition guarded by police.
Twenty-nine others were hospitalized with injuries. Two police officers were shot during the response; their current conditions have not been released.
Beyond the statistics are human stories-families who came to celebrate a religious festival, children who had to witness violence that no young person should ever see, community members who lost friends and loved ones, first responders who faced an active shooter at one of the most public spaces Australia has.
Details about the victims remain sparse as authorities work to notify families and conduct their investigation. But targeting was unmistakable - it was an attack against Jews celebrating Hanukkah, chose precisely because of their faith and their visibility.
"Our Heart Bleeds": World Leaders React to Antisemitic Terror
Premier Chris Minns captured the shock and grief in his statement Sunday night.
"Our heart bleeds for Australia's Jewish community tonight," he said. "I can only imagine the pain that they're feeling right now to see their loved ones killed as they celebrate this ancient holiday."
His words acknowledged not just the immediate tragedy, but the deeper wound: an attack that turns a joyous religious celebration into a scene of terror and loss.
In turn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was "an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation" in a televised address.
But Albanese spoke also of ordinary courage in extraordinary circumstances: "We have seen Australians today run towards dangers in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives."
It's a deliberate and significant framing of the facts. Albanese is categorizing this attack as what it is: antisemitic terrorism. At the same time, he dares to emphasize Australian values that stand in most direct opposition: courage, solidarity, mutual aid. In the face of evil designed to divide, he's highlighting the humanity that unites.
The Investigation: IEDs, Known Suspects, and Unanswered Questions
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confronted the tense press conference and announced the shooting as a terror attack, while investigations are still in process.
An exclusion zone has been established around Bondi Beach as specialist units use equipment to check improvised explosive devices found in a car linked with the dead gunman. The discovery of explosives suggests that the attackers may have planned an even larger-scale assault or had contingency plans for additional violence.
Lanyon asked that people remain away from the area, while assuring that no stone would be left unturned in the investigation.
When asked to identify the attackers and if they were known to authorities, Lanyon said police would not release information about the gunmen at this time. He called for calm while police do their job, adding this was "not a time for retribution"—a careful warning against vigilante violence or communal backlash.
However, he confirmed that the police had been "aware" of one of the alleged suspects but had "very, very little knowledge" of him-a statement that will inevitably raise questions whether warning signs were missed.
Later, Australia's spy chief Mike Burgess added context, saying it was too early to give details about whether the men were on security services' radars. "One of these individuals was known to us but not [from] an immediate threat perspective so obviously we need to look at what happened," Burgess explained.
That phrase-"not from an immediate threat perspective"-is the sort of careful language intelligence officials use when they're aware of someone but haven't classified him as an active danger who requires intervention. It's a distinction that, in retrospect, can sound woefully insufficient but reflects the reality that security services monitor thousands of individuals who never commit violence.
However, the police have not confirmed as yet whether there was also a third gunman or if anyone else participated in the planning or execution of the attack. Those inquiries remain ongoing.
Context: Australia's Rare Mass Shootings and the Port Arthur Legacy
Where mass shootings in Australia are exceptionally rare-a fact that makes Sunday's attack all the more shocking to Australians.
This is the worst incident in the country since 1996, when a lone gunman shot dead 35 people at a popular tourist site in Tasmania during the infamous Port Arthur massacre at Bondi Beach.
That tragedy led to immediate legislative action: the Australian government instituted stringent new restrictions on guns, initiated a compulsory buyback program, and developed regulations that radically altered access to firearms in the country.
The result: Australia has seen virtually no mass shootings in the almost three decades since Port Arthur. The reforms are often cited internationally as evidence that strong gun laws can forestall these tragedies.
Sunday's attack pierced that long period of comparative safety and will inevitably refuel the debates on security, the prevention of terrorism, and public gatherings' vulnerability—although, in fact, the most basic question is different: This wasn't easy firearm access enabling impulsive violence. This was planned terrorism targeting a particular community.
Hanukkah: Where Light is Celebrated and Darkness Steps In
Timing and target carry a profound symbolic weight in the attack.
Hanukkah, or Chanukah in Hebrew, is a Jewish festival of light. The word means "dedication" and celebrates one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history: the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miraculous single day's supply of oil that burned for eight days.
Basically, it is a festival of survival, faith, and the victory of light over darkness. Families come together in celebration, lighting the menorah, exchanging gifts, eating traditional foods, and rejoicing in their heritage and survival through centuries of persecution.
That night of Hanukkah was a selected target of the attackers because it is a time of joy, community, and religious observance. The symbolism is not to be misunderstood: attacking Jews where most visible and most vulnerable, turning celebration into mourning, and attempting to extinguish light with violence.
The Chabad of Bondi event was meant to be all-inclusive and welcoming, having activities "for all ages" and starting at 5:00 PM near the children's playground. It was one of those events aimed at sharing Jewish culture with the greater community while providing space for Jewish families to come together.
Instead, it became the scene of a massacre.
What Comes Next: A Nation Processing Trauma
With dawn breaking on Monday in Australia, a host of difficult questions arises along with profound grief.
How did the attackers plan this assault? Were there warning signs that went unheeded? What security measures need to be implemented for public gatherings, particularly those involving vulnerable communities? And how does a multicultural democracy respond to terrorism targeting one of its communities without fracturing the social fabric that binds diverse groups together?
The call for calm and against retribution by Commissioner Lanyon is vital. History teaches that terrorism's objective isn't just immediate violence but the longer-term social division and backlash it hopes to provoke. Responding with unity, justice through proper legal channels, and protection for all communities is how democracies defeat that strategy.
For Australia's Jewish community, the attack represents the ultimate nightmare: violence targeting them while they were observing their religion, children traumatized, families destroyed, and the fundamental question of safety while practicing faith in public spaces.
Premier Minns put it best: "Our heart bleeds for Australia's Jewish community tonight." But solidarity has to mean something on the ground: security to synagogues and community centers, prosecution of the attackers and anyone that might have aided them, and a clear message that antisemitism has no place in Australian society.
The Man Who Ran Toward Danger As the investigations continue and the victims are identified, one image will likely define how Australians remember this tragedy: the civilian hero who wrestled a gun from an active shooter. His identity has not been made public.
We do not know his background, his training, or what was in his thoughts in those seconds before he acted. We know only that when hundreds fled, he ran toward the danger. When a gunman was killing innocent people, he physically confronted him and disarmed him. Premier Minns is correct: owing to that man's bravery, many people are alive tonight.
In a moment created to inspire maximum terror, maximum division, maximum despair, ordinary Australians acted with extraordinary courage. That's the story that needs to be remembered alongside the horror-not to diminish the tragedy, but to acknowledge the human capacity for heroism even on humanity's worst days. Twelve are dead, including families who came to celebrate light, hope, and faith on the first night of Hanukkah. Twenty-nine others are hospitalized.
Two officers were shot protecting civilians. Australia's Jewish community is mourning and terrified. But in the end, darkness did not prevail. Not when ordinary citizens rush toward danger to protect others. Not when communities stand together against hate. Not when a nation says with one voice and unequivocally that antisemitic terrorism will not stand. The investigation is ongoing. The victims will be mourned.
The Jewish community will need counseling and protection. And Australia will have to come to terms with how terror came to Bondi Beach on a Sunday evening when families gathered to celebrate a victory of light over darkness.
Follow continuing coverage from ZOSIO on the Bondi Beach attack regarding victim identification, investigation developments, and response from the community.