58m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 6:59pmHere’s what we know
We’ve had some major developments to this story overnight, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, intelligence officials and NSW Premier Chris Minns providing updates. Here are some key points:
Two gunmen opened fire on an event marking the first day of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. At least 1,000 people were in attendance.NSW authorities say 16 people, including a 10yo girl, are among the dead. A British-born Rabbi was also among those killed. It is unclear if the gunman is included in the current death toll. The incident has been declared a terrorist attack by NSW Police, with federal authorities also joining the investigation. Police are also investigating whether a third person was allegedly involved in the attack.Thirty-eight people were injured, with 29 people taken to hospital, including police officers responding to the scene. One of our reporters describes the inside of a Sydney hospital responding to the attack as being “like a war zone”. A crime scene has been declared and is still underway in Bondi. It is unclear how long the area will remain a crime scene. US President Donald Trump has described it as a “terrible attack”, while the FBI is pledging to assist Australian agencies.Footage verified by the ABC shows a member of the public wrestling a shotgun out of the hands of one of the attackers. NSW Premier Chris Minns says the act saved lives.A law enforcement source tells the ABC one of the alleged gunmen is Naveed Akram, a man from Sydney’s south-west.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest.
2m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:55pm
UK police ramp up security at Hanukkah events in light of Bondi
In the UK, police will be scaling up security across Hanukkah events following the Bondi tragedy.
The Met Police says it understands the event will “be the cause of not just terrible upset but also significant heightened concern about safety” to Londoners celebrating the religious festival.
“We were already working closely with partners, including the Community Security Trust, to provide an increased presence around synagogues and other community venues at this important time,” it says.
“While there is no information to suggest any link between the attack in Sydney and the threat level in London, this morning we are stepping up our police presence, carrying out additional community patrols and engaging with the Jewish community to understand what more we can do in the coming hours and days.”
13m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:44pm10yo girl and 40yo man among updated death toll: NSW police
Police confirm 16 people are now dead and 40 injured.
Police say since initial death tolls were provided last night, a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man have also died.
Those who died are yet to be formally identified; however, police believe their ages range between 10 and 87 years old.
During the incident one shooter — a 50-year-old man — was shot by police and died at the scene.
The other shooter — a 24-year-old man — suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard.
Five people remain in critical conditions, with the others remaining in serious and stable conditions.
17m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:40pm
Australian senator: ‘This is not who we are’
Senator Dave Sharma says “anyone in a position of political authority” should do all they can to reassure the Jewish community following yesterday’s attack.
“The Jewish community has been feeling unsafe for the last two and a bit years in a place that they have
always found refuge in and have been welcomed as citizens,” he told ABC News channel.
“It is incumbent upon me and anyone in a position of political authority or influence to do all we can to reassure them that we will firstly hold to account the perpetrators of this crime and
anyone involved in supporting or facilitating or assisting it.
“This is not who we are as a nation, but I don’t pretend that is easy given the trauma and grief many of the Jewish community feel right now.”
19m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:38pm
Desperate families struggle to connect to loved ones
Michele Goldman, the CEO of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Directors, told Melissa Clark on Radio National Breakfast that her community is in “shock” and “reeling from the events last night”.
“It’s our worst nightmares coming true. It’s beyond what anyone thought would happen, but which feared may someday happen.”
She says there has been a rise in antisemitism in Australia.
“We’ve seen a lot of hate being unfurled in all different parts of life, from our schools to our university campuses, to abuse on the streets but this is a massive escalation to anything else we have seen. It’s the worst terrorist attack that Australia has ever seen.”
She says the Jewish community is under attack and that the prime minister needed to do more.
“Jewish children go to schools that have very tight security. Our synagogues have security guards outside. Australians should not have to live their lives in this way. And we need much stronger action to address the contributing sources for this hate for Jewish people now. Bolstering security is just an after-effect. We’ve got to deal with the source of the problem.”
Ms Goldman says people are still trying to identify loved ones.
“I’ve seen messages of families, even from overseas, who might have people traveling in Australia and haven’t yet heard from them. So we’re going to need to help to connect people to loved ones and make sure everyone has been able to locate friends or family members. We’re going to need a huge response to deal with the psychological trauma which is going to ensue.”
25m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:32pm
Hanukkah celebrations in Melbourne end early, but no specific threat
Hanukkah celebrations at several locations in Melbourne ended early last night, but police said there was no specific threat.
Victoria Police said events at Caulfield Racecourse and Federation Square finished earlier than scheduled following a decision by organisers, given the events at Bondi.
Extra police were deployed to the broader Caulfield and Glen Eira areas in Melbourne’s east, where there are large Jewish populations.
Extra police deployed across Melbourne. (ABC News )
“We stress there is no threat known locally, however [we] understand the fear and concern Jewish people will be feeling at this time,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
“Victoria Police joins Australia in expressing its shock and distress at the unfolding events in Bondi.
“Victoria Police stands with the Jewish community.”
Police said the additional patrols were not as a result of any direct advice from NSW Police but rather to provide assurance.
“We are also immediately increasing police resources allocated to Operation Park, established in October 2023 to monitor and co-ordinate the investigation of offences associated with the Middle East conflict, which are predominately targeted at Jewish people,” the spokesperson said.
“The statewide operation includes providing an increased police presence around places of worship and significance to the Jewish community, including schools, synagogues and community halls.”
A police presence in Melbourne. (ABC News )
34m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:23pm
FBI director pledges assistance
Overnight, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that he had “been in touch with our counterparts in Australia regarding the horrific attack on a Hanukkah festival in Sydney”.
He said the agency was providing assistance to Australian organisations.
35m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:22pm
Iranian diplomat condemns attack
An Iranian diplomat says his country condemns “the violent attack against civilians in Sydney, Australia”.
“Terror violence and mass killing shall be condemned, wherever they’re committed, as unlawful and criminal,” he wrote on X.
37m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:20pm
📹: ‘Australians want leadership on firearms control’
Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Wallace says investigations have launched into how the terrorists obtained their weapons.
“It appears to me they were semiautomatic shotguns, although that is to be determined at this stage,” he said.
“I think what Australians are expecting this morning is some strong leadership from Anthony Albanese, our memories go back to Port Arthur here when John Howard stepped in and showed incredible leadership around our gun laws as a result of that horrific attack all those years ago.”
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He told ABC News channel that Australians wanted leadership on firearms control but they also want leadership on antisemitism.
42m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:15pmNo idea how long Bondi will remain active crime scene, NSW health minister says
Mr Park says he doesn’t know how long Bondi will remain an active crime scene.
“That will be a matter for police, but that will be an extensive investigation,” he adds.
“Now we rely on the incredible work of our New South Wales police officers to try and sift through that evidence, to try to work through that investigation and they’ll keep the community informed as the community expects.”
44m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:13pm
‘We need to remain calm’: NSW health minister
Ryan Park asks the community to remain calm in the wake of this incident.
“It’s very, very simple,” he says.
“We need police to be able to do their investigative work.
“We need New South Wales healthcare workers to be able to do their work in our hospitals and our frontline paramedics.
“We need to remain calm and that’s at the heart of our nation is that tolerance.”
45m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:12pm
NSW Health Minister labels tragedy ‘horrendous’
Ryan Park will be out visiting some of the injured in hospital today.
He says this tragedy has also brought forward the best in humanity, but notes the scale of devastation.
“This is is horrendous,” he says.
“Something that we never probably thought we’d see ever in this country and something that is going to need and require all of us to put our arms around the Jewish community, and everybody who’s been touched by this horrendous event.”
47m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:10pmPolice drove ambulances to help in situation: Ryan Park
Ryan Park says some of the victims remain critically and seriously injured.
He thanks a “massive” frontline response.
“We had situations where police were driving ambulances so that more people in the back can get the care they needed from our incredibly dedicated and skilled paramedics,” he says.
“But this has been a horrendous incident, an incident that has broken the heart of our paramedics and our health community.”
49m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:08pm
Four children transferred to hospital
Ryan Park continues:
“We had four children transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital.
“We had about 38 people injured and we have had about 100 ambulance personnel, specialist units, general duties paramedics, here during the response last night.”
50m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:07pmBreaking: 16 confirmed dead, including one child
16 people have now died as a result of this tragedy, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirms.
One of those is a child.
55m agoSun 14 Dec 2025 at 7:02pmFrench foreign minister names one of the victims
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has confirmed French man Dan Elkayam is among the dead.
“France will spare no effort to root out antisemitism wherever it emerges, and to combat terrorism in all its forms,” he says in a translated post from X.
“The lights of Hanukkah must not go out and will not go out.”