Sydney (New South Wales) [Australia], December 15 (HBTV): The death toll from the shooting that targeted the Jewish community during Hanukkah celebrations at Australia’s Bondi Beach has risen to 16, with at least 40 people remaining hospitalised, New South Wales Police confirmed on Monday.
In a post on X, the NSW Police Force said police could confirm that 16 people had died and 40 others were still receiving treatment in hospital following the shooting at Bondi Beach, adding that more information would be released in due course.
According to CNN, a representative of the Jewish community confirmed that a 12-year-old girl and a rabbi were among those killed in the attack.
Authorities said the area around Bondi Beach remains sealed off as investigations continue, with restrictions imposed on aerial activity over the site. Police stated in a separate post on X that Bondi Beach and surrounding roads would remain closed while investigators processed the crime scene, and that aircraft, including drones, were prohibited from flying over the area.
The assault occurred while hundreds of people were gathered to mark the first day of Hanukkah and has been officially declared a terrorist attack. Authorities said the shooting specifically targeted the Jewish community.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident in a national address following the mass shooting. He described it as a ‘devastating terror attack’ and expressed solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community. He said the incident was ‘a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith, an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation’. He added that ‘there is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation’.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the two suspects involved in the shooting were a father and his son. Speaking at a press conference, he said the 50-year-old father was shot dead by police at the scene, while the 24-year-old son is currently hospitalised and remains in critical but stable condition.
Authorities also confirmed that explosive devices found in a nearby vehicle were safely secured and removed by officers.
Australia has rarely experienced mass shootings since the introduction of strict gun laws in 1996 following the Port Arthur massacre. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, 31 firearm-related homicides were recorded in 2023–24, the most recent figures available.
(ANI)