Australian Christian leaders have spoken out in solidarity with the Jewish community, following a targeted shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Sixteen people, including one child, have died and 40 people are injured after the mass shooting that occurred on Sunday at 6:40 p.m. local time.

The shooters were later identified as a father-and-son team: Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24. The pair targeted Hanukkah celebrations on the famous beach, shooting into a playground before Sajid was killed on site by police. Naveem was critically injured and is in police custody. It is Australia’s worst gun massacre in 29 years.

Condemned as an “act of evil antisemitism” by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the carnage has prompted a review of Australia’s gun laws. A National Firearms Agreement already exists in Australia, following the 1996 massacre of 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, that prompted a nation-wide gun amnesty.

To own a firearm, people must be aged 18 and over, complete a firearms safety course, show a genuine need for the firearm (sport or farming) and have secure storage. To purchase a firearm, a person must have a permit and register the firearm with the police. Now, experts are saying Australia’s strict gun laws need tighter restrictions.

Sajid, who immigrated to Australia from Pakistan in 1998 as a student, legally owned six firearms. Four of these were seized on site, and others were found in a police raid at a house in Sydney’s south-west. Naveed was born in Australia, and colleagues of the bricklayer say he hunted regularly.

While authorities have not released a list of the 15 victims killed by the two gunmen, family and friends have posted publicly and some have confirmed details to media.

Among the victims were two rabbis, Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan, who helped organize the event; and Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, 87, who reportedly was killed while shielding his wife, Larisa, from gunfire. 

National response

Christian leaders across the country are urging people to honor and respect people of different faith traditions as they grieve.

“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and commit ourselves again to compassion, peace, and care for one another,” said Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church Australia. (Uniting Church, the third-largest denomination in Australian after Roman Catholics and Anglicans, was formed in 1977 with Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists).

“This horrifying moment reminds us as a nation that the safety and dignity of our neighbors must never be taken for granted,” she said.

The Salvation Army Australia held a nation-wide prayer event for those affected by the shooting. The denomination has six churches across the Sydney region, with many acting as first responders.

“When words fall short, and we do not know how to respond, let us pray for those who have lost loved ones, for first responders, paramedics, police, and all providing care,” said Commissioner Miriam Gluyas, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in Australia. “We lift up community leaders to lead with wisdom and compassion at this time.”

Joel Chellah president of the Australian Christian Churches (ACC), a Pentecostal movement, wrote an open letter to the Jewish community, saying they had the support of members from 1,100 campuses.

“The ACC wholeheartedly supports our Jewish friends as we stand against the hatred and violence of this evil act of terrorism, which is a deplorable act signifying the escalation of antisemitism in our country,” said Chellah.

“It reinforces our commitment to build a unified society of respect and value, for people of all faiths to worship freely and safely.”

Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher also spoke strongly against the terror attack and said he had seen public antisemitism festering in Sydney.

“Opposite my own cathedral in Hyde Park there have been weekly demonstrations where inflammatory messages have been regularly articulated, which could only have ‘turned up the temperature’ and perhaps contributed to radicalization,” said Fisher. “This must stop.”

“The brazen and callous disregard for human life, and the hatred of some people toward all Jews, is an unspeakable evil that must be repudiated by every Australian,” he said.

On the local front

Leichhardt Uniting Church, located ten minutes from Bondi Beach, is keeping its doors open for locals who need prayer and support. The church had completed an Advent multilingual service before the shooting occurred.

“We are in complete horror and condemnation at the attack on our Jewish brothers and sisters,” church staff told TRR.

A local Anglican congregation, Bondi Beach Church, was impacted directly by the events. Opening onto the main street of Bondi Junction, they were about 500 feet from one of the shooters. Staff and volunteers had finished a service and had returned from delivering Christmas hampers to neighbors when shots rang out.

Dismissing the initial shots as celebratory fireworks, they realized something was wrong when people began to stampede past their glass front door.

“We thought they were celebrating,” said Martin Morgan, rector and ministry team leader at Bondi Beach Church. “It was a beautiful night, and there were 8,000 people on the beach celebrating Hanukkah and other events. (The people who were running) started yelling, ‘Get back in, there’s a person with a gun!’”

Next, “We went inside, (we) let people in, and we prayed,” said Morgan. “Some were strangers we had never met before. We prayed 30–40 minutes until it quietened.”

A flurry of emergency vehicles and helicopters arrived, and the church became a haven for the shocked, traumatized and those without transport. When non-essential workers were told to leave the area, church members helped redirect traffic.

The surviving shooter was on the radar of Australian security services after his name surfaced in 2019 in connection with an Islamic State cell, according to The Guardian Australia. Police concluded at the time he posed no threat.

Reports say Islamic State flags were found in the car belonging to the Akrams, but NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declined to comment on this, citing a pending investigation.

Witnesses later told media it was as a “blood bath” and “massacre,” as people crashed cars in an attempt to flee. The police later found out that one of the gunmen had planted home made bombs on a foot bridge and in his car, parked close to the church. They never went off.

“We had people telling us about holding people who were shot. They’ve seen the most gruesome things.” said Morgan. “Today we’ve left the church building open to the general population: the Jewish community, those seeking solace and support.”

For Bondi Beach Church, the importance of supporting the Jewish community through this is paramount.

“There’s no doubt this attack was antisemitic,” Morgan said. “Hannukah is the Festival of Light. (So) pray we speak into that in a really obvious clear and kind way. We want to offer wholesome fellowship, food and support so our Jewish brothers and sisters and feel completely accepted.”

In an interview with Sky News, Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the shooting had broken his people, and was the “worst fears” of the Jewish community.

“It’s been bubbling under the surface for a long time, and now it’s actually happened,” said Ryvchin.

Radical love

As Australians grapple with the events in Bondi, a hero has risen to the forefront. Footage from the shooting shows Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian fruit shop owner, disarming Naveed. He was shot twice in the process before the shooter fled the scene to join his father.

Ahmed has been lauded globally for his actions, the footage receiving more than 22 million views. Pastor and activist Jarrod McKenna used an Instagram post to call Ahmed a hero.

“In our mourning, let us be aware of agendas that seek to weaponize our grief into a force that fails to recognizing(sic) God’s image in all,” he said.

As Morgan and churches across Sydney continue to support their community in the aftermath of this attack, faith leaders are saying that working collaboratively is the only path forward.

“This was an attempt to sow chaos and fear and darkness,” said Morgan. “(Pray) this is not successful. Pray that all community will be able to actively work together for the long term.”

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales Praised Ahmed Al Ahmed who saved countless lives by disarming one of the shooters with his bare hands.#AhmedAlAhmed #bondibeachpic.twitter.com/1QzhhHt0QI

— Dr Ahmad Rehan Khan (@AhmadRehanKhan) December 14, 2025

Jessica Morris is a music journalist, podcaster and author based in Melbourne, Australia.