On December 14, 2025, a disaster struck Bondi Beach, Australia. A once-fun-filled place to spend your day turned into a tragedy. The shooting occurred at 6:42 p.m. during a celebration of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, which was attended by more than 1,000 people. Two gunmen opened fire. Police have allegedly identified them as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram. The shooters killed 15 people, including two rabbis, a ten-year-old girl, and a Holocaust survivor. Alleged gunman Sajid Akram also died in the attack. 40 people, including two officers, were injured and remain hospitalized.
Four people confronted the gunmen, attempting to stop the attack. Three of them were killed, and one was injured with gunshot wounds and left in the hospital. Ahmed al-Ahmed, a local shop owner, tackled one of the shooters and was shot five times. After surviving the confrontation, he has been named a hero and received over $2.5 million in community donations. A married couple, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were killed while attempting to disarm one of the attackers. ABC News says, “At least 12 of the 15 people who were killed in the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, have been identified. They include a 10-year-old girl, a young soccer player originally from France, a rugby team manager, a great-grandfather known for his “love of life” who died while shielding others, and a Holocaust survivor.”
The victims that have been identified are 10-year-old Matilda, Edith Brutman, Dan Elkayam, Sofia and Boris Gurman, Alexander Kleytman, Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Reuven Morrison, Marika Pogany, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, and Tibor Weitzen.
The Bondi shooting is the first deadly attack on Jews in Australia. CNN News shares, “In just a few hours, the beach would be the site of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost 30 years.” This attack has left the community in mourning. Mass casualty attacks are fairly uncommon in Australia due to strict gun laws put in place in response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where 35 people were killed. Following the Bondi Beach shooting, the National Cabinet unanimously agreed to further restrict gun laws and introduce a gun buyback program.
The NSW government passed significant legislation in late December 2025 to control firearms. “Federal parliament has been recalled early to pass complementary national measures by January 20, 2026,” explains The Jerusalem Post, which provides us with the new gun laws being passed or that have been passed in Australia. These included ownership caps. Individual recreational licenses are now capped at four guns, while farmers are permitted up to 10. Previously, some individuals in NSW owned over 100 firearms. This plans to limit the amount and distribution. There is also now a Citizenship Requirement. Gun licenses are now restricted to Australian citizens only, closing the door that allowed the 2025 attackers to legally own weapons. They also require licenses to be reviewed every two years rather than every five. Mandatory Club Membership requires all firearm license holders to now be active members of a gun club. Australia has also implemented a National Register and Buyback. The federal government is accelerating the National Firearms Register and has launched a national gun buyback program, the largest since 1996.
