At least 12 people were murdered in Australia

According to a New South Wales ambulance representative, over a dozen victims were transported to area hospitals following the incident.

SYDNEY (Reuters)— Gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing at least 12 people and wounded around a dozen more, according to Australian officials.

According to New South Wales police, two suspects were apprehended, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation stated that one of at least two gunmen died.

A dozen people were sent to surrounding hospitals following the incident, according to a New South Wales EMS spokesman.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese termed the incident as “shocking and distressing,” and stated that “emergency responders are on the scene and working to save lives.”

“I saw at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere,” said 30-year-old resident Harry Wilson to the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Jewish people who went to the beach to light the first candle of the Hanukkah celebration were attacked by “vile terrorists”.

Since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023, Australia has witnessed a number of antisemitic assaults against synagogues, buildings, and autos.

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, voiced displeasure over the occurrence.

“These are the results of the anti-Semitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the anti-Semitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ that were realized today.”

Bondi, one of the world’s most famous beaches, is often busy with both locals and tourists, especially on balmy weekend evenings.

“If we were purposefully targeted in this fashion, it is on a scale that none of us could have imagined.” “It’s a terrible thing,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jews, told Sky News, adding that his media adviser was hurt in the event.

People scattered on the beach and at a neighboring park when gunshots and police sirens rang out, according to footage circulating on X. One video showed a man in a black shirt blasting a large weapon before being apprehended by a man in a white T-shirt, who removed the weapon from him. A separate person was seen discharging a handgun from a pedestrian overpass.

Another video showed two men being thrown to the ground by uniformed police officers on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers were observed attempting to revive one of the individuals. Reuters was unable to quickly authenticate the footage.

The event happened almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman kidnapped 18 people at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the shooter were killed following a 16-hour standoff.

Sussan Ley, leader of Australia’s opposition Liberal Party, indicated that the disaster caused “significant” casualties.

“Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi,” she spoke to the throng.