Trump : declares, “Celebrate proudly,” after the fatal Hanukkah assault at Bondi Beach, Australia

Trump: Following a massacre that targeted the Jewish community at Australia’s Bondi Beach and murdered at least 11 people, US President Donald Trump said that Jews enjoying Hanukkah need not worry about their safety and could “celebrate proudly,” according to CNN.

A Fox News journalist shared Trump’s message with Hanukkah observers after a phone call with the US president. “In a direct message to those celebrating Hanukkah today, the president said that they need not be concerned. “They should be proud of who you are and celebrate with pride,” the journalist said.

With the National Terrorism Threat Level now placed at “probable,” according to the Australian government, the comments were made in the midst of increased security worries in Australia. According to the New South Wales Police Force’s website, this rating, which falls between five categories, means that there is a greater than 50% possibility that a terrorist act will be planned or carried out in the nation during the next 12 months, CNN said.

According to Australia’s National Security Agency, the security environment in the nation “has entered a vulnerable period and is being challenged by new threats with concerning trajectories.” It has cautioned that assaults are likely to be inexpensive, using easily accessible weapons and simple strategies, often take place in busy areas of large cities, and are frequently carried out by a single person or small group.

Police reported that shooting broke out at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s well-known Bondi Beach, killing at least 11 people and injuring 29 more.

More than 1,000 people were at the event when the shooting happened, according to authorities, and the act was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community,” CNN said.

One of the two alleged assailants was shot and killed at the spot, while the other is still in serious condition in the hospital. The identity of the suspects have not yet been made public by the police, who have said that investigations are still on, including the possibility of a third offender.

Israel’s foreign ministry said one Israeli citizen was among the dead. According to CNN, the government also said that another Israeli person was hurt and is being treated at a hospital in Sydney.

A few hours after it happened, the shooting was classified as a terrorist attack. According to police, such conclusion was reached because of the attack’s timing on the first day of Hanukkah, as well as other factors including the weapons used.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to the tragedy by writing on X that he “strongly condemns” the killing. “There is no place for antisemitism in our world. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Australian people, the Jewish community, and the victims of this terrible crime,” Rubio stated.

Additionally, the US Embassy in Australia said on X that it was “heartbroken” by the news and sent its “sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of this senseless act that targeted the Jewish community on the first night of Hanukkah.”

According to CNN, the embassy told US nationals living in Australia to stay away from Bondi Beach, heed the advice of local authorities, and let their loved ones know they were in the country.

“Your fellow Australians stand with you tonight in condemning this act of terror,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who declared that the nation will never surrender to “division, violence or hatred.”

The assault was intended to instill fear, he noted, but he emphasized that Australians will respond together.

The shooting was a planned assault on Sydney’s Jewish community, according to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who said that what ought to have been a “night of peace and joy” was “shattered by this horrifying, evil attack.”

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said that although a “significant” investigation is ongoing, officials are focused on guaranteeing the community’s safety.

Israeli officials responded with surprise and rage. President Isaac Herzog condemned the Australian government of failing to stop the rise in antisemitism and said that Jews in Sydney were “attacked by vile terrorists” while celebrating Hanukkah.

According to CNN, Minister of the Diaspora Amichai Chikli called the attack “the result of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years,” while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote that it was the most serious attack against the nation’s Jewish community.

International leaders also voiced their sympathy with Australia and denounced the tragedy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand tweeted that his nation was “shocked by the distressing scenes at Bondi,” while Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom said the same, calling the incident “deeply distressing.”

An “antisemitic terrorist attack struck families gathered to celebrate Hanukkah,” according to French President Emmanuel Macron, while Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that Europe “stands with Australia and Jewish communities everywhere.”

The incident left the community “horrified and shaken,” according to the Jewish Council of Australia, which described it as a “horrific act of antisemitic violence during the Jewish festival of light and hope.”

“In moments like this, we hold each other close,” the council said in a statement.

Since tough gun regulations were put in place in 1996 in response to the Port Arthur tragedy, mass shootings have been uncommon in Australia. The Australian Institute of Criminology reports that the most current data available for firearm-related murders was 31 in 2023–2024.