A tragic event unfolded at Bondi Beach yesterday, where two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah gathering, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals. In addition to those killed, 40 people sustained injuries during the attack.

Authorities confirmed that one of the assailants was killed, while the other is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital.

In the aftermath, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of fueling antisemitic sentiments due to his administration’s support for a Palestinian state. Netanyahu expressed his concerns in a video message shared on his official social media account, urging Albanese to shift from “weakness to action” and “appeasement to resolve.”

Netanyahu, who previously castigated Albanese for his government’s support of a Palestinian state, claimed he had warned the Australian leader he was pouring “fuel on the antisemitic fire”.

“I called upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on the Israeli prime minister’s official X account.

“Instead, prime minister, you replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement.”

Australia was among several countries formally recognising a Palestinian state in September during the United Nations gathering of world leaders.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was equally critical of the Australian government.

”Western governments face a simple choice: fight antisemitism or normalise it,” Sa’ar said.

“The Australian government has failed this test. Even compared to the Western countries, the wave of antisemitism that has swept it, both in the virtual space and in the public sphere, is immense. It is, of course, not the only one that has failed.”

Sa’ar said there has been “a surge in antisemitism in Australia”.

“I also said that security for the Jewish community in Australia will be achieved only through a real change in the public atmosphere,” he said.

“Calls such as ‘Globalise the Intifada,’ ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free,’ and ‘Death to the IDF’ are not legitimate, are not part of the freedom of speech, and inevitably lead to what we witnessed today.”

According to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, 159 countries have recognised Palestine.

The vast majority of the international community believes that a two-state solution is the only way to end decades of conflict.

Netanyahu’s government has said the international push for a Palestinian state rewards Hamas.

Here are some global reactions to the Australia shooting:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that “terrorism and the killing of people, wherever they occur, are unacceptable and must be condemned.”

Australia in August cut off diplomatic relations with Iran and accused it of masterminding antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.

President Donald Trump called the shooting “a purely antisemitic attack,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “antisemitism has no place in this world.”

King Charles III said he was “appalled and saddened.”

He also leads the Commonwealth, and the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday said Herzog had reached out to the king in September warning of an “epidemic of antisemitism” in three Commonwealth countries: Britain, Canada and Australia.

Meanwhile, police in London said they would step up security at Jewish sites.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the attack “has left me speechless” and added that “this is an attack on our shared values”.

“We must stop this antisemitism, here in Germany and worldwide,” he said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified and that “my heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hannukah, a festival celebrating the miracle of peace and light vanquishing darkness.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the “ghastly terrorist attack” and said that “we stand in solidarity with the people of Australia in this hour of grief.”

The organisation’s president, Ronald Lauder, said that “no community should ever fear ​coming together to celebrate its faith, traditions, or identity,” adding: “Make no mistake, this will not break us.”

-with Associated Press