A peaceful Jewish celebration on Australia's iconic Bondi Beach was shattered by gunfire in a targeted attack that lasted roughly nine to ten minutes, leaving multiple people dead and a community reeling. The incident, which unfolded on a warm Sunday evening, has been described by survivors as a scene of sheer terror where they felt like "sitting ducks."
A Peaceful Gathering Turns to Panic
The attack began as the sun set over Archer Park at the northern end of Bondi Beach. Hundreds from Sydney's Jewish community had gathered for the annual 'Chanukah by the Sea' event to mark the start of Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights. The atmosphere was festive, with families, children, and elderly grandparents enjoying a petting zoo, face painting, and a rock-climbing wall. The temperature was a warm 29 degrees Celsius, and the sounds of celebration mixed with the crashing waves of the Tasman Sea.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., the violence was set in motion. Two men, later identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, Australian residents who had reportedly rented an Airbnb about 20 kilometres away, climbed out of a silver Hyundai Elantra hatchback. They had told family they were going fishing. Instead, armed with three long-arm rifles, they walked to a concrete footbridge overlooking the park.
The Attack from the Footbridge
Positioned on the footbridge, which offered them shelter with its chest-high walls, the father and son had a clear line of sight to the crowd below. The son was dressed in black, the father in white pants and a long-sleeved black shirt. At around 6:47 p.m., from a distance of some 50 metres, they began firing into the gathered crowd.
Panic erupted instantly. Survivors described a relentless barrage of gunfire as the assailants reloaded and fired repeatedly. "It just didn't stop," one woman recounted. "We were so targeted in that little space. We were like sitting ducks." Another survivor noted the attackers had "a ridiculous amount of ammunition and multiple guns."
In the chaos, parents used their own bodies as human shields to protect their children. One mother grabbed her 17-month-old son and dove under a barbecue, pulling buckets of drinks on top of them. She prayed, "Please don't let us die. Please just keep my son safe." A man lying just centimetres away was struck in the chest. "I'm dying," he told her. "I can't breathe." Despite efforts to stem the bleeding with cardboard, he did not survive.
Aftermath and Community Trauma
As the gunfire continued, people fled in every direction. Some, fully clothed, ran into the sea for cover, while others scrambled to get out of the water. The grassy park, moments earlier a scene of joyful community gathering, became a place of carnage and desperation.
The attack, which lasted less than ten minutes, represents a profound violation of a sacred community space and celebration. The Bondi Beach massacre has sent shockwaves through Sydney's Jewish community and the nation at large, raising urgent questions about security, hate-motivated violence, and the lasting trauma inflicted upon the survivors who witnessed the horrific event.
