MELBOURNE – Eva Geller, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor who was wounded in the shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney, has died nearly a year after the attack, officials said Friday.
Geller, who was born in Romania, died Thursday night at a Sydney hospital, said Evan Zlatkis, director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
She was among about 40 people injured when two gunmen allegedly influenced by the Islamic State group opened fire on a crowd at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14. The victims who died ranged in age from 10 to 87. Police shot and killed one of the alleged attackers, Sajid Akram, at the scene.
Rabbi recalls victim as ‘strong and pretty healthy’ before the attack
Rabbi Aron Moss said Geller had been “strong and pretty healthy right up until the Bondi attack where she was shot.”
Moss said she had been hospitalized several times in recent weeks because of complications related to surgery.
“She’s a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. A beautiful, positive person who even in these difficult months maintained her positivity,” Moss said on behalf of the family.
Doctors initially told Geller that she would never walk again after being shot. “But through sheer determination, she got back up and she did walk again,” Moss said.
He said Geller later used a cane because of the gunshot wound to her leg.
Naveed Akram, the surviving alleged gunman and the 25-year-old son of the man killed by police, faces 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. He has not entered a plea.
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It remained unclear whether Geller’s death would affect the charges against Akram.
Police said they were awaiting guidance from a state coroner, who will investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
Akram is due back in court on Feb. 24. Prosecutors are expected to finalize the charges that will proceed to the New South Wales Supreme Court for trial.
Premier calls Geller’s death ‘heartbreaking’
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns expressed his condolences to Geller’s family.
“After everything Geller endured, the news of her death is heartbreaking,” Minns said in a statement.
“Almost a year on, we are still living with the pain and aftershock of that evil act. We will never forget Eva or any victim whose life was changed forever,” Minns said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Bondi attack continued to inflict pain on victims’ families.
“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah) in peace and safety and instead, her life was changed forever by an act of terror and antisemitism,” Albanese said in a statement, using a different spelling of Hanukkah.
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