Gunmen targeted Australia’s Jewish community in a deadly mass shooting. Here’s what we know

By Hilary Whiteman, Angus Watson, CNN

Sydney, Australia (CNN) — At least 11 people were killed in a terror attack on Sunday targeting the Jewish community celebrating the first night of Hannukah at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach.

Around 1,000 people had gathered on a grassy area at Archer Park when at least two gunman opened fire at 6:47 p.m. local time, sending panicked crowds running in all directions.

One suspect was killed at the scene, while the other was injured and taken into custody. Police believe a third suspect may have been involved, but they cautioned against speculation as investigations continue.

It’s Australia’s worst mass shooting since a massacre almost 30 years ago saw the country introduce some of the world’s toughest gun laws.

Here’s what we know:

Multiple fatalities confirmed

At least 11 people died when the gunman started shooting less than two hours into a Hanukkah event that was due to start at 5 p.m. local time. A 12-year-old girl and a rabbi are among the victims, Alexander Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told CNN.

The event was advertised to have “live entertainment, music, games and fun” for all ages. Families had gathered on the grass, swimmers were in the ocean, and witnesses remember seeing people dancing and banging drums.

New South Wales Police said emergency services were called to Campbell Parade, the road that runs along Bondi Beach, just before 7 p.m., to reports of a shooting. Hundreds of residents and tourists ran away from the gunfire, many throwing off their shoes in their haste to escape.

Belinda Clemens was sitting on the rocks near the north side of Bondi when she heard gunshots. “It sounded like fireworks and then it sort of became clear that it was a shooting because people were running in either direction,” Clemens told CNN.

Amy Gunia, a CNN features writer, had just flown into Sydney from Hong Kong for a family holiday with her husband, toddler and baby. Her family had just finished having an early dinner at North Bondi and were walking back south past Bondi Pavillion when they heard “pops.”

“I kind of turned around thinking maybe it was fireworks or something celebratory,” Gunia said. “We had two kids in strollers and saw people closer to the pavilion running. Very quickly, it just turned into a panic situation.”

“There was a sense of disbelief that something like this could happen in Australia.”

Twenty-nine people were injured and taken to hospitals around the city. New South Wales Police were unable to confirm the ages of those killed and injured but earlier specified that children and families were attending the event.

Hero praised

In one video circulated widely online, a man in a white shirt is seen tackling one of the gunmen and taking his firearm. His actions were praised by Australian authorities.

“That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight, as a result of his bravery,” said New South Wales Premier Chris Minns.

One suspect was killed and the other taken into custody with serious injuries.

Police set up an exclusion zone around a car found parked on Campbell Parade which they believed was fitted with “several improvised explosive devices.”

The rescue bomb disposal unit worked on the vehicle, and police later confirmed the IEDs had been removed.

Australian PM: ‘An act of evil’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Sunday evening and condemned the attack.

“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, in faith, an act of evil, anti-semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese said in public remarks.

Albanese has been accused by the Jewish community and by political rivals of not doing enough to deal with the rise of antisemitism.

After the October 7, 2023, attacks, and as Israel waged its war on Hamas in Gaza, rates of antisemitism surged in Australia. The government appointed a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, along with a Special Envoy to deal with Islamophobia.

Earlier this month the Executive Council of Australian Jewries, the peak body representing 200 Israeli groups, released a report saying the number of antisemitic incidents remained at “unprecedently high levels.”

In 2025, 1,654 antisemitic attacks were reported – down 19% from the 2,062 recorded in 2024. Most incidents in 2025 were verbal abuse followed by graffiti attacks, according to the ECAJ.

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said Sunday that Australia’s threat level remains unchanged at “probable.”

“Probable means there is a 50% chance of an act of terror, and unfortunately, we’ve seen that horrific act occur tonight in Australia, he said.

The Jewish community reacts

Jewish leaders had warned about the hate directed at the community that was expressed in graffiti and arson attacks on synagogues and places where the Jewish community gathers.

The Australian Jewish Association said in a statement posted to X that the tragic attack was “entirely foreseeable.”

“The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community,” the organization said. “Tonight, many Jews are pondering whether they have a future in Australia.”

The Jewish Council of Australia said the attack had left its members “horrified and shaken.”

“Many within our community have just received the worst news of their lives,” the group said in a statement.

International leaders react

Israeli President Isaac Herzog interrupted a public meeting on Sunday morning local time to say that “at this very hour our brothers and sisters in Sydney, Australia, are under a terror attack during the lighting of the Hanukkah candle at a Chabad event on Bondi Beach.”

He said they were “attacked by vile terrorists.”

“We have repeatedly warned the Australian government of the urgent need to uproot the criminal and spreading antisemitism in Australia,” Herzog added.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he was horrified and condemned the Australian government.

“This is the result of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years,” Sa’ar said in a post on X.

Other leaders around the world sent their condolences to the families of victims, including New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon who said he was “shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi.”

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the news of the shooting “deeply distressing,” Leaders from countries including France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Estonia and Lithuania also extended their sympathies.

CNN’s Catherine Nicholls, Tal Shalev and Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.

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