The global community has been left reeling after a horrific antisemitic attack unfolded at one of Australia's most famous landmarks. Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach.
A Scene of Horror at an Iconic Location
The assault took place on Monday, 15 December 2025, shocking both the nation and the world. The attackers, identified as a father and son, targeted the community gathering in a deliberate act of violence. Sky News correspondent Nicole Johnston arrived at the scene within an hour, witnessing the aftermath of the tragedy first-hand.
The incident has raised urgent and profound questions about the safety of Jewish communities in Australia and the effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures. There is a growing demand to understand what intelligence and law enforcement authorities knew about the suspects prior to the attack.
Could This Have Been Prevented?
In a special episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Niall Paterson delves into these critical issues. He is joined by Nicole Johnston for her eyewitness account and by Josh Roose, an associate professor of politics at Deakin University who specialises in extremism.
Their discussion centres on a pervasive sense of foreboding that had been building within the Australian Jewish community. Professor Roose examines the broader context of rising antisemitic sentiment across the country, analysing whether this attack was an isolated event or a tragic inevitability given the current climate.
Confronting a Rising Tide of Hate
The podcast episode, produced by Tom Gillespie and Emily Hulme and edited by Mike Bovill, investigates what more could have been done to confront this dangerous trend. It scrutinises the pathways to radicalisation and the challenges faced by security services in monitoring potential threats.
This attack on Bondi Beach, a symbol of Australian leisure and multiculturalism, marks a dark turning point. It forces a national reckoning on hate speech, extremism, and community protection. The conversation on Sky News Daily seeks not only to report the facts but to understand the deeper societal fractures that enabled such violence to occur.
