Naveed Akram, 24, has been formally charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, and terrorism, over the deadly Hanukkah attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police at the scene, leaving 15 dead and dozens wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.

FILE PHOTO: A woman grieves at a floral memorial in honour of the victims of the mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper/File Photo

The New South Wales Police said the shooting appeared to be inspired by Islamic State, with the perpetrators traveling to the southern Philippines, a region affected by Islamist militancy, weeks before the attack. Naveed Akram remains hospitalized under police guard and is set to appear in court via video link on Monday. Authorities allege the attack was designed to advance a religious cause and instill fear in the community.

Funerals for the victims began on Wednesday, including that of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a father of five and assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi Synagogue. Schlanger was known for his outreach to Sydney’s Jewish community, including visits to public housing and prisons. His death has deeply affected the local Jewish population and the wider Australian public.

Photographs of the victims of a mass shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday are displayed at Chabad of Bondi Synagogue after the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, in Sydney, Australia, December 17, 2025. AAP/Mick Tsikas/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. AUSTRALIA OUT. NEW ZEALAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NEW ZEALAND. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN AUSTRALIA.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces criticism for his government’s response to rising antisemitism and questions over how Sajid Akram was legally able to acquire high-powered rifles and shotguns. Albanese pledged sweeping reforms to gun laws and stated the government would work to eradicate antisemitism from Australian society.

Amid the tragedy, acts of heroism emerged. Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, tackled one of the gunmen and disarmed a rifle despite being shot, and 22-year-old police officer Jack Hibbert, who sustained gunshot injuries, is facing a long recovery after losing sight in one eye.

The victims of the attack included a Holocaust survivor, a young girl named Matilda, and other families, leaving the community in mourning. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced parliament would reconvene on December 22 to consider urgent reforms to gun ownership and protest laws.

Family grieve over the coffin at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue during the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger following a shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Australia is in mourning after gunmen opened fire on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in an attack designed to target the Jewish community. MICK TSIKAS/Pool via REUTERS

As Sydney grieves, Bondi Beach held a minute’s silence, and local events were canceled, reflecting the somber mood. Residents and visitors alike are uniting in grief, seeking a sense of community in the wake of a tragic attack that has left an indelible mark on Australia.

Mourners attend the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed during a shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, at Chabad of Bondi synagogue, in Sydney, Australia, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper

Relatives of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed during a shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, react next tor his coffin during his funeral at Chabad of Bondi. Bondi, NSW. December 17, 2025. Kate Geraghty/Pool via REUTERS

Mourners attend the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed during a shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, at Chabad of Bondi synagogue, in Sydney, Australia, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Jeremy Piper/Pool