Australia has been plunged into mourning after a deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney left at least 10 people dead and more than a dozen injured, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned as a targeted anti-Semitic attack on the first day of Hanukkah.
Australian authorities confirmed that the fatalities include a man believed to be one of the shooters, while a second alleged attacker is in critical condition in hospital. Police said at least 11 other people were wounded, among them two police officers and several civilians, including at least one officer who was shot while responding to the incident.
Earlier reports indicated that at least seven people, including a police officer, had been shot during the chaos that unfolded at the popular beachfront location, one of Sydney’s busiest public spaces. The scene was swiftly sealed off as emergency services rushed victims to nearby hospitals and heavily armed police flooded the area.
While investigators have yet to officially confirm a motive or specific target, witnesses told local media that the gunfire erupted during a Hanukkah-related gathering. The prime minister later stated that the attack was directed at Jewish Australians, describing it as “anti-Semitic terrorism” that struck at the core of the nation’s values.
“It should have been a day of joy and a celebration of faith,” Albanese said in a national address. “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
He added that the country was devastated by what he described as an assault on Australia’s way of life, vowing that authorities would use the full force of the law to bring those responsible to justice and ensure the safety of all communities.
Police said investigations were ongoing and urged the public to avoid speculation as detectives work to establish the full sequence of events, the identities of the victims, and whether anyone else may have been involved. Security has been heightened across Sydney, particularly around religious sites, as a precaution.
Bondi Beach, normally a symbol of Australia’s relaxed coastal lifestyle, has now become the scene of one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years, prompting an outpouring of grief and solidarity from across the nation and beyond.
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