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Twelve people are dead after a brutal terror attack at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah gathering, and one of the alleged shooters was killed while another is in custody after being critically wounded. The massacre struck a peaceful holiday event and left families reeling on what should have been a night of light and prayer. This was not random crime — it was an act of targeted hatred that demands the full force of justice.
Dozens were wounded in the attack, with reports of nearly 29 injured, including police officers who rushed in to save lives amid chaotic scenes of people running for cover. Authorities also discovered suspicious devices near the scene, raising the chilling possibility this was meant to be even deadlier. Australians are waking up to the grim reality that violent ideologies have crossed into our streets and seaside parks.
Video and eyewitness accounts show gunmen firing from a pedestrian bridge as terrified crowds tried to shelter, an image that will haunt a nation that prides itself on safety and mutual respect. A courageous bystander tackled and disarmed one of the attackers, a reminder that brave citizens can and often do make the difference between life and death. We should be grateful for that heroism even as we demand the state do its job to prevent these horrors.
Australian leaders have rightly labeled this an antisemitic terrorist attack, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened the national security apparatus to respond to a plainly evil act. This is now one of the deadliest shootings in modern Australian history, comparable only to the dark memory of Port Arthur — proof that nowhere is immune if we allow hatred to fester. The declaration of a terror investigation must be matched by action, not platitudes.
Let us be frank: this carnage did not arise in a vacuum. Rising antisemitism, inflammatory rhetoric at public demonstrations, and a permissive attitude toward extremist ideology have been warning signs that too many on the left shrugged off. When peaceful civil discourse is abandoned for street shrieks and moral relativism, minorities become targets and neighborhoods become hunting grounds.
Now is the time for hard decisions: ramp up intelligence and policing resources, shut down networks that incubate violent ideology, and stop pretending that vague sermons and online bile are harmless. Soft-on-threat strategies and reflexive defenses of every provocative act as merely “expression” invite tragedy. Australia’s security agencies must be empowered and funded to act decisively before more lives are lost.
Some will point to Australia’s strict gun laws and argue that policy alone cannot stop evil men; they are right to a point, but the lesson is not to relax enforcement — it is to enforce smartly, prosecute ruthlessly, and clamp down on the supply chains and networks that put weapons in the hands of killers. Tougher penalties for those who radicalize and abet violence, plus better intelligence-sharing with allies, are basic, commonsense steps. We owe it to the victims and their families to pursue every legal avenue to prevent a repeat.
World leaders and Jewish communities around the globe have expressed horror and solidarity, and rightly so — this is an attack on humanity and the shared values of free societies. Israel, the United Kingdom, and other allies have already condemned the atrocity, and these condemnations must translate into coordinated action against the ideologies behind such attacks. International cooperation is not optional when terror crosses borders and targets the innocent.
To the grieving families, to the brave first responders, and to every citizen who watched this unfold in disbelief: America and its friends stand with you. This is a moment for prayer, for mourning, and for resolve — resolve to reject the hatred that spawned this slaughter and to demand policies that protect our people. We must honor the dead by ensuring their names are not another justification for excuses, but the catalyst for real, unyielding action.
