A survivor of the October 7 attacks found himself caught in yet another moment of terror after being injured during the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, where a Hanukkah celebration became the target of a planned antisemitic assault. Speaking with a bandage wrapped around his head, he described scenes of chaos, panic, and bloodshed as gunmen opened fire on families gathered for the first night of the Jewish festival.
The man said he had been attending the Chanukkah event with his family when gunfire erupted, sending people scrambling for cover as bullets tore through the crowd. He recalled seeing “blood gushing” from his own head after being struck, even as others collapsed around him. Calling the scene “a bloodbath,” he said no one initially understood what was happening as terror unfolded across the park.
Authorities have said the attack was deliberately aimed at Sydney’s Jewish community and had been planned for months. One gunman was shot dead at the scene, another was critically wounded and taken into custody, and at least 12 people — including children and a police officer — were killed. Emergency responders continued sweeping the area after receiving an unconfirmed report that an explosive device might have been planted under a pedestrian bridge.
For the survivor, the trauma was layered. Having lived through the October 7 attacks in 2023, he had recently arrived in Australia to work with the Jewish community on combating antisemitism. Never expecting to face such violence again, he said the experience of coming under fire in Sydney was shocking and deeply distressing.
