12 people were killed after two gunmen opened fire at a crowd of 200 people in Australia’s Bondi Beach on Sunday.
New South Wales police said that more were additionally injured, and the numbers are expected to change. According to NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon, 29 people were taken to various hospitals around the Sydney area, including two police officers.
The shooting took place in a crowded area of the northern part of the Bondi Beach at a Hanukkah (Jewish festival) event at around 6:30pm, The Guardian reported. The area is located by a footbridge that people use to cross the beach. The shooters had used the bridge as a vantage point.
Two men were arrested by the footbridge which was covered in shotgun casings. One of the gunmen was also reported dead.
The shooters had used long arms and police believe they carried several improvised explosive devices inside their vehicle. Bomb units have been sent to the location.
A tragic mass shooting occurred in Sydney's famous Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration today. Multiple lives are feared lost.
— kafi_political (@kafi_political) December 14, 2025
Amid the chaos, a video surfaced of a brave man who disarmed the attacker with his bare hands. A true hero. Hoping he is safe and unharmed. Salute.… pic.twitter.com/T6t1c08p6e
The incident has been designated a terrorist act. Police are investigating to find a third offender.
In one video that has surfaced, a man, who is now being called a hero, is seen tackling one of the gunmen and turning his gun back on him, forcing him to back off.
In another video, both the gunmen are seen opening fire from a small bridge.
Many had come to the beach to attend the Chanukah by the Sea festival held on the first day of Hanukkah.
Witnesses said that thousands of people fled the beach in the confusion and panic that followed. One eyewitness told Sky News, "Like the whole it was just panic. It was pandemonium... pandemonium."
Harry Wilson, another witness, said that he at least saw 10 people on the ground. Initially, people thought that the shots were from fireworks. One witness who spoke to the Guardian said she thought she heard about 50 shots.
Multiple visuals showed bodies lying on the ground.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the scenes in Bondi were "shocking and distressing." "Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected," he said.
He called the incident a "targetted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith” and said that the shooting was “an act of evil anti-Semitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation.”
