Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney. (AP Photo) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that he had warned Australian PM Anthony Albanese that the country’s policies fuel antisemitism after two suspected gunmen opened fire at a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing at least 11 people. One of the gunmen has been killed and the second suspect is in critical condition, officials said.
Netanyahu, while reacting to the mass shooting, said it was “cold blooded murder” and that antisemitism “spreads when leaders stay silent.” “You must replace weakness with action,” the Israeli prime minister added.
Ahead of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, “A few months ago, I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Australia. I said that their policy was pouring oil on the flames of antisemitism and encouraging the hatred of Jews that is raging in the streets of Australia.”
According to New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, police were investigating whether a third gunman had been involved in the attack. At least 29 people have been taken to hospital with injuries, including two police officers.
My statement on the Bondi shooting attack. pic.twitter.com/LRAbMpcUEm
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 14, 2025
Netanyahu further added, “Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders remain silent, and they must replace weakness with strength in facing it. That did not happen in Australia and today, something terrible occurred there. A cold-blooded murder,” CNN reported.
Authorities also said that far more people would have been killed if a bystander, identified by local media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed, had not charged a gunman from behind, who grappled with him and wrestled the weapon from the attacker’s hand.
Story continues below this ad
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacted sharply to the attack in Sydney and said the evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach was “beyond comprehension”. About 1,000 people had gathered at the beach to mark the start of Hanukkah which is a Jewish festival of light.
(with inputs from Reuters)
