The target of the attack was a Jewish Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Image: keystone
Attackers opened fire on a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Sunday evening (local time). The authorities classify the attack as an anti-Semitic act of terrorism.
December 14, 2025, 10:06December 15, 2025, 10:17 am
That’s what happened
Attackers carried out an attack on a Jewish festival in the Australian metropolis of Sydney on Sunday. According to current information, at least 15 people were killed, including a ten-year-old girl. 24 people are still in hospital. One of the attackers was shot by the police, the second was arrested and is also in the hospital.
The attack occurred on the popular Bondi Beach, where many families had gathered for a Hanukkah celebration. The eight-day festival of lights began this Sunday.
More than 1,000 people were on site when the shots were fired, said Police Chief Mal Lanyon. The perpetrators began shooting at families on Sunday evening around 6:47 p.m. They used long guns in the crime, Lanyon said. There were security precautions at the event, including police patrolling. Lanyon spoke of a “massive police response” to the crime. He promised extensive investigations. “The Jewish community has the right to feel safe.”
This is what we know about the attackers
The police believe there are two perpetrators “directly involved”. The investigation will show whether other people were involved in the planning of the attack. One of the attackers has been killed, the second is in police custody and in the hospital, where he is being guarded by the police.
The attackers are Naveed Akram (24) and his father Sajid Akram (50). According to Australian media reports based on anonymous information from investigators, they have connections to the Islamist terrorist organization IS. At least his son Naveed Akram has been the focus of Australian intelligence in the past.
There is more current information about the perpetrators here:
While the operation was still underway on Sunday evening, the police reported that suspicious objects in the area were being examined by special forces and a exclusion zone had been set up. Improvised explosive devices were found in a car linked to the attackers, Police Chief Lanyon said.
This is known about the background
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the attack was “aimed at targeting the Jewish community.” What should have been a day of peace and joy celebrated in the community with family and supporters was “shattered by this horrific and vicious attack,” Minns said. This is shocking and painful.
Chris Minns was shocked by the attack.Image: keystone
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of an “act of terrorism”. “We will stand with the Jewish community,” he said at a press conference. He rejected questions from journalists about whether his country was doing enough to combat growing anti-Semitism. Australia is taking the issue seriously, said Albanese. Shortly after the crime, he spoke of “shocking and upsetting” scenes in an X-post.
Anthony Albanese officially classified the attack as an act of terrorism.Image: keystone
That’s why this video is getting attention
Videos on social media show dramatic scenes at the crime scene. One shows the two gunmen firing from a nearby bridge at people in the park adjacent to the beach. The videos also show people fleeing in panic.
Another video shows a passer-by surprising one of the two shooters during the attack and disarming him not far from the bridge. You can see how the man first jumps onto the attacker’s back from behind. After a short struggle, he takes the rifle from him. However, the alleged perpetrator, who had previously fired the rifle, escapes with a limp. In the Australian media, the passer-by is celebrated as a “hero”.
Video: instagram/shityoushouldcareabout
Another video circulating online showed injured and presumably dead people lying on a meadow. Some people try to provide first aid or resuscitate victims.
This is how the Jewish community in Switzerland reacts
Jonathan Kreutner, General Secretary of the Swiss Association of Israelite Communities (SIG), currently does not assume that any Swiss were present at the festival in Sydney, as he said when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) also assumes this, as a spokesman told “Blick” and Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) on Sunday. On X, the FDFA reported that it was in close contact with the local embassy and was following the situation closely.
“We are dismayed,” wrote the SIG in a statement on Sunday. In Switzerland, too, the attack was received “with horror” by Jewish society. Anti-Semitic hatred should have no place, neither in Switzerland nor elsewhere. The SIG, together with the Platform of the Liberal Jews of Switzerland (PLJS), expressed “their deepest sympathy” to those affected.
According to Secretary General Kreutner, there are no public celebrations planned for the Festival of Lights on Sunday in Switzerland. Jewish society in this country celebrates “Hanukkah” with the family or in the community. Candlesticks would be lit, an ancient miracle would be commemorated and hope would be shared.
“It’s actually a festival of joy.”
Jonathan Kreutner
But the “horrible attack” is now overshadowing Hanukkah worldwide and is a bitter blow for the Jews. The events in Australia would put additional strain on the already dwindling sense of security in Jewish society – including in Switzerland.
That’s why Israel is making accusations against Australia
The Jewish organization Australian Jewish Association was one of the first institutions to raise allegations on X:
«How many times have we warned the government? Never once did we feel like she was listening.”
The Central Council of Jews in Germany reacted with dismay to the news of the attack in Australia with many deaths and wrote on X: “In these difficult hours, our thoughts are with those affected, the injured and the relatives of the victims.” The Central Council captioned the post with a candle in black and white and the words “We stand with Sydney”.
Israeli President Izchak Herzog called on Australia to provide more protection for the Jewish community. “It was at these very moments that our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, were attacked by vile terrorists in an extremely cruel attack on Jews who had gathered to light the first Hanukkah candle on Bondi Beach.”
Izchak Herzog speaks of an “extremely cruel attack on Jews”.Image: keystone
Herzog continued:
“We continue to reiterate our warnings to the Australian government to demand action and combat the enormous wave of anti-Semitism that is ravaging Australian society.”
Gideon Saar calls on the Australian government to “finally come to its senses”.Image: keystone
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also sharply criticized the Australian government. “I am horrified by the murderous shooting attack at a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia. These are the consequences of the anti-Semitic riots on the streets of Australia over the past two years, which were driven by the anti-Semitic and seditious calls to ‘Globalize the Intifada’ that were implemented today,” writes Saar in a post on X, demanding:
“The Australian government, which has received countless warning signals, must finally come to its senses!”
Gideon Saar
Since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, a global wave of anti-Semitism has been observed, including attacks on Jews and synagogues, with criticism of Israel sometimes turning into hatred against Jews.
In December 2024 there was an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne. The church went up in flames. Albanese spoke of an anti-Semitic crime that had put human lives in danger.
This is how the Federal President commented on the attack
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemns this “despicable attack,” as he announced via X. “My heart goes out to the Jewish community around the world on this first day of Hanukkah, a festival that celebrates the miracle of peace and the light that conquers darkness.”
Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter condemns the anti-Semitic terrorist attack.Image: keystone
Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter has condemned the terrorist attack on a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Switzerland stands in solidarity with the victims and resolutely rejects any form of violence, anti-Semitism and hatred, Keller-Sutter said on X.
Other heads of government such as French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed their condolences.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of an “anti-Semitic attack” that left him stunned and wrote:
«This is an attack on our shared values. We must put a stop to this anti-Semitism – here in Germany and worldwide.”
Friedrich Merz
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social networks that she was shocked by the attack and sent her condolences to the families and relatives of the victims. Europe stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere. “We are united against violence, anti-Semitism and hatred,” she emphasized.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made a similar statement: “This abhorrent act of violence against the Jewish community must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” (lyn/sda/dpa)