Thousands gather as Bondi Beach reopens, commemorating victims of Hanukkah attack

Thousands of radical gathered arsenic Bondi Beach reopened days aft a wide shooting targeting Jews astatine a Hanukkah solemnisation near 15 dormant and dozens injured.

The commemoration began with thousands of radical lasting shoulder-to-shoulder connected the soil earlier forming an tremendous ellipse successful the ocean, signifying solidarity among Sydney's residents and enactment for the Jewish community, The Associated Press reported.

Police reopened parts of Bondi Beach connected Thursday, conscionable 5 days aft the attack. Additionally, arsenic questions look implicit the Jewish community's information arsenic good arsenic fears of backlash against Muslims, equipped constabulary officers were stationed extracurricular of synagogues and mosques successful Sydney connected Friday, according to the AP.

At Bondi Beach, surfers took to the h2o for a paddle-out, a ceremonial commonly held erstwhile a surfer dies that involves participants sitting connected boards arsenic tributes are made and immoderate splash and cheer. A ample assemblage gathered for the paddle-out astatine Bondi arsenic Jews prayed connected the formation and others gathered to ticker the scene, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

AUSTRALIA MOVES TO TIGHTEN GUN LAWS AFTER HANUKKAH MASS SHOOTING LEAVES 15 DEAD AT BONDI BEACH

Surfers and swimmers caput retired to the water arsenic a tribute pursuing Sunday's shooting astatine Bondi Beach, successful Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (Steve Markham,File/AP Photo)

The onslaught has spurred a consciousness of unity, peculiarly arsenic stories astir heroes of the time travel to light, specified arsenic that of Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syria-born Australian Muslim store owner, who tackled and disarmed 1 of the gunmen. Al Ahmed was changeable and wounded by the different assailant.

In a video posted connected societal media, al Ahmed said Australia is "the champion state successful the world" earlier raising his fist and chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie," according to the AP.

Following the tragedy, Australians showed their unity by mounting a nationalist grounds for humor donations, the AP reported. Nearly 35,000 donations were made and much than 100,000 appointments booked since Monday, according to the AP, which cited Lifeblood, a subdivision of the Australian Red Cross.

People sojourn a floral tribute extracurricular the Bondi Pavilion pursuing Sunday's shooting astatine Bondi Beach, successful Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER SAYS AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS 'DID NOTHING' AMID RISE OF ANTISEMITISM BEFORE SYDNEY ATTACK

The iconic footbridge astatine Bondi Beach wherever the shooters were seen carrying retired the onslaught has go a spot for tributes to the victims. Beside a chalk drafting of a menorah and an Australian flag, is simply a drafting of a bumblebee, a awesome memorializing the youngest unfortunate of the attack, 10-year-old Matilda.

Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited the tract and walked crossed the footbridge.

"I wasn’t prepared for the feelings that deed maine erstwhile I crossed the bridge," Ley told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I saw that span connected tv the nighttime that it happened, and similar each Australians, I was successful daze and horror."

"Then I heard straight from radical who sheltered nether that span and saw the gunmen, and volition ne'er beryllium capable to locomotion done this portion of Bondi again without each of those feelings coming back," she added.

People locomotion past a memorial drawn connected the partition of a walking span arsenic a tribute pursuing Sunday's shooting astatine Bondi Beach, successful Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

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Australian Olympians Jessica Fox, Ian Thorpe and Steve Solomon, on with different athletes, visited the memorial and laid flowers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"Moments similar this, coming successful together, connecting, vowing for change, vowing for improvements and prosperity arsenic a assemblage and a country, is what gives america anticipation to enactment connected the azygous arsenic we person today," Solomon, who is Jewish, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Fox, who is besides Jewish, became affectional astatine the tract and said, "It shouldn't instrumentality a calamity to bring radical together."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.