Bondi Beach shootings: ‘Europe stands with Australia and Jewish community’
Europe stands in solidarity with Australia and Jewish communities around the world, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said following the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Twelve people, including one of the gunmen, are confirmed to have been killed.
“Europe stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere. We are united against violence, antisemitism and hatred,” Von der Leyen said on X, extending her condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
A celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was taking place on the beach, with an estimated 1,000 people present, when at least two gunmen began shooting. Video footage shows one of the shooters being disarmed by a member of the public. Twenty-nine people are in hospital, including two police officers.
"We are united against violence, antisemitism and hatred"
Police commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference that police had found “an improvised explosive device in a car which is linked to the deceased offender”. The attack is being investigated by counter-terrorism officers and police are investigating if there was a third perpetrator.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation”.
The shooting is the worst in Australia since the killings of 35 people at Port Arthur, Tasmania, in April 1996. That attack led to fundamental reform of the country’s gun laws.
Police following a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, 14 December 2025 © PHOTO DAVID GRAY / AFP
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