 "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. (AFP)")
Among the dozens wounded in Sunday’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach was a man who once survived the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, and had recently moved to the country. With his face bloodied and wrapped in bandages, he said he never thought he would see such violence in Australia.
Calling the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach a “bloodbath” and an “absolute massacre,” he told 9News, “I was here with my family, it was a Hanukkah celebration, there were hundreds of people, there were children, there were elderly, families enjoying themselves.”
Two gunmen opened fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring many others.
“Children, kids at a festival, playing and then all of a sudden it’s absolute chaos. There’s gunfire, everywhere, people ducking, it was absolute chaos. We didn’t know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from,” he said.
The unidentified man said he had spent 13 years living in Israel and had survived the October 7 attacks there. He added that he arrived in Australia two weeks ago “to work with the Jewish community, to fight antisemitism, to fight this bloodthirsty hatred.”
Authorities have confirmed that emergency services rushed to the scene as soon as reports of gunfire came in. Police quickly cordoned off the area, detained suspects, and urged the public to avoid Bondi Beach as investigations continued.
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Quick Reads
View AllSuspect identified as Naveed Akram
Authorities have identified one of the shooters as Naveed Akram (24) from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest, as reported by Daily Mail.
An official, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on condition of anonymity, said that police are raiding Akram’s home in Bonnyrigg.
The attack has drawn international condemnation, with leaders around the world expressing shock and solidarity with the victims and their families. In Israel, officials decried the violence, with one leader saying that Jewish communities everywhere “must be protected” during times of celebration.