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.
Sanctions are a long-used tool designed as an alternative to military force and with the objective of changing governments’ behaviour, but they also...
Azerbaijan’s participation in the United States-backed Board of Peace reflects a clear calculation of national interest, according to Chingiz Mammad...
Millions of people in Britain are struggling to afford basic necessities, with a new report warning that the number living in the deepest levels of po...
A clock in a Tel Aviv square that became a rallying point for Israelis demanding the release of hostages taken during the October 2023 Hamas attack wa...
Turkish defence firm Aselsan announced on Monday that it had signed a deal with the NATO alliance, of which Türkiye is a longstanding member, for the...
Police in Australia have charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney's Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act.
Newly released dashcam footage captures the heroic actions of Boris, 69, and Sofia Gurman, 61, during Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack that killed 16 people, including one of the alleged attackers.
Thousands gathered at vigils across Australia on Monday evening to honour the 15 people killed in a terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday. The mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration is being treated as terrorism, prompting the Australian national cabinet to tighten gun laws.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has activated the state’s National Guard following the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, an incident that has triggered protests and intensified tensions between state and federal authorities.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday the country should not fear pursuing energy ties with the United States, as Caracas seeks to expand oil and gas production and attract foreign investment.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected a U.S. magazine report on the death toll during January unrest. Nationwide protests erupted in response to soaring inflation and a national currency crisis.
A mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV was illuminated on Sunday at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, continuing a centuries-old Vatican tradition marking the election of a new pope.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine remain stalled after talks in Abu Dhabi ended without an agreement. Moscow has since ruled out dialogue with the EU’s top diplomat.
Millions of people in Britain are struggling to afford basic necessities, with a new report warning that the number living in the deepest levels of poverty has reached a 30-year high, driven by soaring housing costs and rising child poverty.
India and the European Union have finalised a long-pending trade deal, both sides said on Tuesday, calling it the “mother of all deals” as they seek to hedge against uncertainty in U.S. trade ties.
The Trump administration has signalled to Ukraine that U.S. security guarantees depend on Kyiv agreeing to a peace deal likely requiring it to cede the Donbas region to Russia, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
France’s National Assembly has approved a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron and the government as part of efforts to protect teenagers’ mental and physical health.
Russian drones and missiles knocked out power in Kharkiv late Monday, while 23 people were wounded and an energy facility damaged in an overnight attack on Odesa, officials said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment