At least 12 people have died after two men opened fire at a popular beach destination in Sydney, Australia.
At least 29 people were also injured in the terror attack on Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, at about 6.45pm.
One of the two gunmen was also killed, while the other was injured and remains in critical condition.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at the Chabad of Bondi, was among those killed, people who knew him told Metro.
Today is the first day of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, an eight-day Jewish festival of lights.
A Hanukkah event was scheduled to take place at a playground on the northern end of the beach, near where the shooting took place.
What happened?
Two men dressed in black emerged from a small silver hatchback parked at a car park on the northern arch of the crescent-shaped beach.
Armed with a shotgun and a rifle, the men walked to a footbridge overlooking the area and opened fire, witnesses said.
At the time, a family-friendly ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ celebration organised by the local Jewish organisation Chabad of Bondi was taking place.
The shooting happened moments before the candles of a menorah were to be lit.
Families took cover behind wooden benches, while blood-soaked beach-goers were filmed fleeing the scene.
![This screen grab of UGC video taken on December 14, 2025 and received courtesy of Mike Ortiz shows beach-goers fleeing Bondi Beach after gunmen opened fire, in Sydney on December 14, 2025. Two suspected shooters opened fire at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, killing nine people and wounding multiple others in an attack that spread panic, with bodies reported lying on the ground. (Photo by Mike Ortiz / UGC / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE MANDATORY CREDIT ?? AFP PHOTO / UGC / Mike Ortiz ?? - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS [ NO ARCHIVE ]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SEI_277944703-1d3a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Bystander Ahmed al Ahm was filmed wresting a firearm, believed to be a pump-action shotgun, from a man.
ABC, Australia’s public broadcaster, citing a senior police official, named one of the alleged gunmen as Naveed Akram.
Police have raided Akram’s home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb west of Sydney, the insider added. Akram was injured during the shooting.
State police commissioner Mal Lanyon said that the gunman who was killed was known to the force.
He said: ‘That does not mean there was any specific threat posed by that person.’
A car with ‘improvised explosives’ was found after the shooting on Campbell Parade. A rescue bomb disposal unit is on the scene.
Father and ‘dedicated religious leader’ among the dead
Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, was among the dead, his wife told The Australian.
Larisa Kleytman said she and Alex were celebrating on the beach when shots rang out.
She said: ‘At this moment, he was behind me and at one moment, he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.’
Rabbi Benjamin Elton, chief minister of Sydney’s Great Synagogue, told Metro that he worked with Rabbi Schlenger.
The ‘very dedicated religious leader’ was helping to organise the Bondi Beach Chanukah event.
‘My children go to school with members of his family. Just a very hard-working, dedicated, committed rabbi and family man,’ said Rabbi Elton.
The rabbi described how ‘hundreds’ of people may have been at the Hanukkah celebration when the shooting unfolded.
He added: ‘The highlight was going to be a candle lighting of a large menorah at about 6.45pm, about the time the attack took place, so that everyone could begin the festival in a very warm, connected, communal spirit.’
Since the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, 367 antisemitic incidents have happened in New South Wales, police said earlier this year.
‘Last year was an all-time high, this year was only second to that,’ said Rabbi Elton, describing how synagogues have been bombed, Jewish day cares vandalised and cars set on fire.
‘The turn of ’24 to ’25 seemed a low point in the horrific nature of the antisemitic attacks. But of course, today, with 11 innocent people murdered, this is really an unprecedented low.
‘Everyone’s going to be in profound shock and deep distress, and there’s going to be an awful lot of rebuilding and communal comfort, mutual comfort.’
Arsen Ostrovsky, a writer for The Jerusalem Post, was among those wounded, the newspaper reported.
The head of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Sydney office is receiving treatment at a hospital.
Where is Bondi Beach?
Bondi Beach is a crescent of sand that stretches about half a mile along Sydney’s east coast.
Bondi, pronounced ‘bon-dye’, was named after an Aboriginal word meaning ‘sound of the waves breaking on the beach’.
It’s long been one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations – 880,000 domestic visitors swung by every day in 2022.
Known for its blue waters, the beach is popular with surfers and home to one of the world’s oldest surf lifesaving clubs.
Bondi has been the setting of countless films, TV shows and music videos, including Modern Family.
The force added that no similar incidents happened at Dover Heights, about one mile north of the beach.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: ‘My thoughts are with every person affected.’
New South Wales premier Chris Minns said: ‘This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukah.
‘What should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community in families and supporters has been shattered by this horrifying, evil attack.’
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the ‘antisemitic terrorist attack’ on X.
He added that officials are working with the CST, a Jewish security organisation, on policing Hanukkah events.
The Metropolitan Police said security will be increased in London.
Are guns legal in Australia?
Australia has one of the world’s lowest gun-related death rates, in part due to the country’s strict laws on firearms.
Mass shootings are rare in Australia, with just one occurring since 1996.
The National Firearms Agreement came into force in response to the massacre in Port Arthur, which saw 35 killed by Martin Bryant.
The act made gun ownership a privilege, rather than a right. Mandatory licensing, background checks, and stringent rules for firearm storage and use were rolled out.
In a statement, CST said: ‘Chanukah is a Jewish festival that celebrates light and religious freedom and it is abhorrent that such violence was directed at a moment of communal joy.’
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, said the attack comes after Jewish groups raised concerns about antisemitism to officials.
About the Author
