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A man who survived the October 7 terror attacks in Israel was injured in a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.With blood on his face and a bandage wrapped around his head, he described scenes of chaos during a Jewish festival that left 11 people dead.The man told Australia’s 9News that the shooting was “a bloodbath, it was an absolute massacre”. He had been attending a Hanukkah celebration with his family when, out of nowhere, gunfire erupted.“I was here with my family, it was a Hanukkah celebration, there were hundreds of people, there were children, there were elderly, families enjoying themselves,” he said. The man also described how no one was spared: “Children, kids at a festival, playing and then all of a sudden it’s absolute chaos. There’s gunfire, everywhere, people ducking, it was absolute chaos.We didn’t know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from.”The unidentified man said he had lived in Israel for 13 years and survived the October 7 invasion by Hamas there in 2023. He said he had come to Australia just two weeks ago “to work with the Jewish community, to fight antisemitism, to fight this bloodthirsty, ravishing hatred”.The man added that the Bondi Beach shooting is not worse than an actual full-scale attack: “We’ve lived through worse, we’re gonna get through this, and we’re going to get the bastards who did this.”
Bondi Beach shooting: How it unfolded?
At least 11 people were killed and 16 others injured when gunmen opened fire at Bondi Beach on Sunday afternoon. Videos of the brutal assault went viral on social media. The attack took place during an event marking the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, near the beach’s children’s playground, where hundreds of innocent people had gathered for music, games and family activities.Police labelled the shooting a terrorist incident. Video footage showed people inside a nearby café running for cover as gunshots were blazing out.The injured man said he saw at least one gunman firing indiscriminately as people fell around him. His only concern was for his wife and children, who managed to escape.“I saw at least one gunman … firing randomly and in all directions. I saw children fall to the floor, I saw elderly, I saw invalids, it was an absolute bloodbath,” he said. “October 7, that’s the last time I saw this. I never thought I’d see this in Australia, not in my lifetime, on Bondi Beach of all places, this iconic place.”Emergency services deployed dozens of ambulances, medical teams, helicopters and specialist units. Several victims were treated at the scene before being taken to hospitals across Sydney. Authorities said two shooters were involved. One gunman was shot dead, while the other was arrested after being disarmed by a brave man at the site.The captured gunman has been identified as Naveed Akram, a 24-year-old man from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s south-west. Police said his home was being raided as part of the investigation.Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged people in the area to follow police instructions. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack and called on the Australian government to confront any kind of antisemitism.
