World leaders have expressed condolences and solidarity after 15 people were killed in a mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (14 December).
The attack, described by U.S. President Donald Trump as "an anti-Semitic act", has shocked communities across Australia and around the world.
However Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised Australia on the governments antisemitism policy.
"It pours fuel on the antisemitic fire. It encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets. Antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent and replace... You must replace weakness with action."
"It (action against antisemitism) didn't happen in Australia. And a terrible thing happened there today. A cold-blooded murder. The number of victims is rising every minute, to my sorrow. We've seen evil at its lowest and we've also seen Jewish bravery at its peak," he added.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the Australian government to take urgent action against what he described as “an enormous wave of anti-Semitism” affecting the country.
Speaking from Jerusalem, Herzog said, “Our heart misses a beat. The entire nation of Israel misses a beat in this very moment as we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them and we pray for those who have lost their lives."
"We send our warmest strength from here, and we repeat our alert time and again to the Australian government to seek action and fight against the enormous wave of anti-Semitism which is plaguing Australian society. Let's hope for better news and we hope to see them all healing and here,” Herzog added.
Other international leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the attack and offered their condolences.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the incident as a “heinous, deadly attack on Jewish families.”
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted the courage of first responders and civilians who acted to protect others during the attack.
“For all Australians, our first thoughts are with those in the terrible early hours of their grief."
"We are also thinking of everyone being treated for their injuries and many of whom are alive right now because of the courage and quick action of the New South Wales police and the first responders who rushed to their aid, as well as the courage of everyday Australians who, without hesitating, put themselves in danger in order to keep their fellow Australians safe,” Albanese said.
Authorities credited bystander heroism with preventing further loss of life. Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Sydney fruit shop owner, was filmed tackling one of the gunmen, wresting a rifle from his hands and helping contain the threat.
Following the tragedy, Albanese convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee to review the incident and coordinate the government’s response.
The attack, the deadliest in Australia in three decades, has left Bondi Beach and the broader Jewish community in mourning, as families and friends grieve for victims and the nation reflects on the scale of the violence.
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