Sydney grieves 15 dead as Israeli envoy urges stronger security

Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting probed as terror attack; Israel’s envoy urges protection for Jewish Australians

SYDNEY — Dozens queued along Sydney’s Bondi Beach to lay flowers and light candles for the victims of the weekend’s Hanukkah festival shooting, as Australia opened a terrorism investigation and Israel’s ambassador called for stronger protection of the country’s Jewish community.

Police said 16 people were dead, including one of the alleged gunmen, after two attackers opened fire on Sunday in Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years. A second suspect remained in critical condition in a Sydney hospital.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, who joined mourners at a temporary memorial near the Bondi Pavilion, said Jewish Australians face unique security fears. “Only Australians of Jewish faith are forced to worship their gods behind closed doors, CCTV, guards,” the ambassador told reporters. “My heart is torn apart … it is insane.”

Authorities said the gunmen targeted the Jewish community at the seaside celebration and opened fire on hundreds of people during a roughly 10-minute spree before police shot both men. Two police officers remained in critical but stable condition, New South Wales police said.

Officials said 25 survivors were receiving care in several Sydney hospitals. Among the wounded is Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, a Muslim father of two who charged one of the gunmen and wrested away his rifle. He remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds and has been praised widely, including by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Police have not released the suspects’ names. Australia’s ABC and other media identified them as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed by police, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed, who is hospitalized. The older man held a firearm license since 2015 and had six registered weapons, authorities said.

The federal government launched a review of the nation’s gun laws — among the world’s strictest — in response. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said reforms enacted after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre should be updated. “It is clear now that those laws need to be brought back up to date because it should never be the case that it is physically possible for two people to do what we saw on Sunday,” he told Channel Nine.

The attack comes amid a surge in antisemitic incidents over the past 16 months that prompted the head of Australia’s main intelligence agency to list antisemitism as his top threat-to-life priority. “What one can expect when graffiti is painted all over Australia on synagogues, buildings, public buildings, calling for the death of Israel, death to the IDF, and then cars are put on fire?” the ambassador said.

Bondi Beach — Sydney’s best-known stretch of sand and a magnet for international tourists — reopened under overcast skies but was subdued Monday. A growing memorial of flowers wrapped the Bondi Pavilion, steps from where witnesses described chaos and crowds fleeing for cover as shots rang out.

“This is my community. This is my history,” said Carolyn, 67, a Jewish mourner who declined to give her surname. “Antisemitism has no place here. But what I’m seeing here is hope. I’m seeing people from most communities here doing that. They’re showing their respect, and it’s very important.”

Overnight, a Hanukkah menorah was projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in a show of solidarity and remembrance.

Authorities said the 15 victims included a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda Britvan. Officials urged patience as the terrorism investigation proceeds and families identify loved ones.

By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.