Source HT
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — At least 12 people are confirmed dead, including one of the gunmen, following a devastating terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. The horrific mass shooting, which targeted a public event for the Jewish community, has been declared a terrorist incident by New South Wales police and has sent shockwaves across Australia and the international community.
The attack unfolded as hundreds gathered for the “Chanukah by the Sea” event to mark the start of the Jewish festival of lights. Authorities report that two gunmen opened fire on the crowd, creating scenes of chaos as attendees fled in panic.
Details of the Attack and Investigation
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that the incident met the legal threshold for terrorism under state law, citing the event targeted and the weapons used.
Casualties: The death toll stands at 12, including one of the suspected gunmen who was fatally shot by police. At least 29 people, including two police officers, were also wounded and rushed to hospitals.
The Attackers: Two gunmen were involved. One was killed by police, and the second was arrested but is in critical condition. Police are investigating the possibility of a third gunman and are examining “a number of suspicious items” located in the vicinity, including an improvised explosive device found in a car linked to the deceased offender.
Targeted Hate: NSW Premier Chris Minns explicitly stated that the attack was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community.” The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since 1996.
Netanyahu’s Strong Rebuke of Australian Government
The tragedy drew immediate and fiery condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched a scathing attack on the Australian government, accusing Canberra of fostering an environment of anti-Jewish hate.
Netanyahu condemned the shooting and blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government for “pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire.” The statement reflects growing tensions and a sense among some Israeli and Jewish community leaders that Australian authorities have failed to adequately combat a recent surge in anti-Jewish incidents.
“I grew up believing that Australia was one of the best places on earth to be Jewish… That a shooting could happen here, and that Jews were the target, feels like a rupture in something we believed was settled,” said one Jewish community leader.
Other Israeli politicians echoed Netanyahu’s sentiment, with some reportedly likening the Sydney attack to the October 7 assault in Israel and suggesting that the victims’ “blood is on the government’s hands” for allegedly ignoring prior warnings about anti-Jewish threats.
Australian PM Condemns “Act of Evil”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese swiftly decried the attack, calling it a “shocking and distressing” act of “evil, antisemitism, [and] terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
In a televised address, Albanese stressed that the shooting was a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on a day that “should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith.” He vowed a national response and unity, adding: “There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation.”
The counter-terrorism command is now leading the investigation as authorities work to identify all those involved and determine the full motives behind the catastrophic act of hate.
