7 OCT 2026Bondi Beach
7 OCT 2026 
Fatwa declared against Israel
On 28 March 2025, the Committee for Ijtihad and Fatwa of the International Union of Muslim Scholars issued a fatwa concerning what it described as the ongoing aggression in Gaza and suspension of the ceasefire.
In IUMS's own English translation, the first ruling states: "it is obligatory for all Muslims and Muslim nations to engage in jihad against the Zionist entity and all those collaborating with it in the occupied land—be they mercenaries or soldiers from any nation. Military intervention, as well as supplying the mujahideen with weapons, expertise, and intelligence, is a binding duty... Jihad against the occupation is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) upon every capable Muslim."
Other rulings in the same fatwa:
- Apostasy: anyone who supplies the "Zionist entity" with goods "out of love for the Zionist enemy and with the intention of weakening the resistance is an apostate from Islam", citing the verse "do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies" (ruling 3).
- Funding fighters: "Financial jihad is an obligation upon every capable Muslim. Wealthy Muslims must spend from their own wealth... to equip the mujahideen"; "Every effort must be made to deliver financial support to the resistance and to care for the families of fighters" (ruling 6).
- Scholars: it is "a religious obligation upon scholars... to call for jihad against the occupying enemy by all available means" (ruling 8).
- Governments: Muslim and Arab states must form "a unified military alliance" (ruling 4), and if governments block aid to Gaza "they must be defied" (ruling 12).
The fatwa also calls for boycotts and an end to normalisation, and closes by thanking those who support Gaza, "including some Jewish voices of conscience" (ruling 15). In Australia, Hamas has been listed in full as a terrorist organisation since 4 March 2022.
The Arabic version published on the IUMS website lists the participating committee members, the third of whom is "Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Mohammed – member". IUMS has since removed that page, but an archived copy was taken on 26 November 2025. Elsewhere on its website, IUMS describes Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed as the Grand Mufti of Australia, elected in 2011.
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7 OCT 2026 United Muslim Community Statement
In February 2025 a coalition of Muslim organisations and community leaders issued a joint statement about the reaction to a video in which two Bankstown Hospital nurses, Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, said they would refuse to treat, and threatened to kill, Israeli patients. The statement said the response showed "selective outrage" (ABC). It also said: "We affirm that all forms of discrimination based on race and religion are unacceptable, and that healthcare should be provided justly to all."
The statement said: "This statement is not about defending inappropriate remarks. It is about pushing back against the double standards and moral manipulation at play while the mass killing of our brothers and sisters in Gaza is met with silence, dismissal, or complicity" (Guardian). It also said: "The frustration and anger directed at Israel is a direct response to its violent and inhumane policies — not an expression of hatred toward Jewish people" (ABC). It called the nurses' remarks "emotional and hyperbolic".
Named signatories included the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils; the Islamic Councils of Victoria and Western Australia; The Muslim Vote; Muslim Votes Matter; Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia; and the Al Madina Dawah Centre and its founder Wissam Haddad (Guardian; ABC; SMH). Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir signed in his own name (Daily Telegraph, 19 February 2025). The ABC reported that the United Muslims of Australia, the Australian National Imams Council and the Lebanese Muslim Association were not listed as signatories.
Albanese said of the nurses: "What they deserve is the condemnation that they've gotten." NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said "we need to unite against hatred and these comments are divisive and unwelcome" (ABC).
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7 OCT 2026 Sheikh Wesam Charkawi ordered to work from home
Sheikh Wesam Charkawi is a student learning support officer at Granville Boys High School and a convener of The Muslim Vote. On 16 February 2025 he posted a video responding to the Bankstown nurses controversy. In it he said the nurses' comments were "never meant to be literal or intended to be a threat to patient care" and accused politicians of "selective moral outrage" (ABC, 24 Feb). He was also a signatory to the joint community statement (Guardian, 28 Feb).
At a meeting on 18 February the NSW Department of Education asked him to remove the posts from TikTok and Instagram. The Guardian reported that he refused and was asked to work from home, while the SMH reported he was told to "temporarily work from an alternate location". On 24 February the department directed him to remove the posts by 26 February. Separately, a joint letter from Premier's Department secretary Simon Draper and Public Service Commissioner Kathrina Lo told public servants: "You have a duty to uphold the reputation of your department and the government sector as apolitical, impartial and professional."
Students protested at the school on 26 and 27 February. After a meeting on 27 February he returned to work on 28 February. The department said: "Following meetings with senior officials, Mr Charkawi has been cleared by the department to return to work as a school learning support officer. He has been counselled over his actions and reminded of his obligations as a department employee. Mr Charkawi has removed the social media video and agreed to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Conduct."
His lawyer, Majed Kheir, said his client "maintains that his post has not breached the social media policy and that he has not done anything wrong" (ABC, 28 Feb).
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7 OCT 2026 Australia recognises the State of Palestine
On 11 August 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that "Australia will recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September". They said the decision was "predicated on the commitments we have received from the Palestinian Authority".
On 21 September 2025, a joint statement said: "Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine." The statement said this was done "alongside Canada and the United Kingdom". It also said: "The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine." It added that further steps, including diplomatic relations and embassies, "will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitments to reform." At a press conference at UN headquarters, Senator Wong said government documents and systems would now refer to "the State of Palestine, or Palestine, rather than the OPTs".
At home, the Coalition objected. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash said in a joint statement: "Recognition must come at the end of a peace process, not during the conflict." ABC reported that Australia's position put it at odds with the United States, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the countries recognising Palestine.
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7 OCT 2026 Iran’s ambassador expelled over attacks in Australia
On 26 August 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "ASIO has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion - that the Iranian Government directed at least two of these attacks." The two attacks were the arson of Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney on 20 October 2024 and of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on 6 December 2024. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement". He said "the Embassy was not involved" and that "some of the alleged perpetrators did this because they were paid to do it."
The government expelled Iran's ambassador. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "we have declared Iran's Ambassador to Australia persona non grata, as well as three other Iranian officials and they will have seven days to leave the country. This is the first time in the post-war period that Australia has expelled an ambassador." ABC named the ambassador as Ahmad Sadeghi. Australia suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and moved its diplomats to a third country. ABC reported that Iran's foreign ministry called the move "an assault on diplomacy".
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: "It's true that no one was injured in these attacks, it is not true that no one was harmed." On 27 November 2025, under the new Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, the government listed the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism. It was the first listing under that framework, with penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment.
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7 OCT 2026 Dural caravan ‘terror plot’
NOTE: Police first treated this as a possible terror plot and later said it was a fabricated plot set up by organised criminals. Both stages are documented below.
On 19 January 2025, a caravan was found in Dural, in Sydney's north-west, containing power gel explosives along with a document with antisemitic material and a list of targets. ABC reported that police said the explosives could have caused a "mass casualty event" with a blast zone of more than 40 metres, although no detonator was found. The discovery became public 10 days later, after it was leaked to a Sydney newspaper. NSW Premier Chris Minns said: "This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There's only one way of calling it out and that is terrorism." Asked on ABC Radio Sydney whether he agreed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "I certainly do," and added that "it hasn't been designated yet by the NSW Police". ASIO said it did "not believe there is an ongoing threat to public safety".
On 10 March 2025, AFP Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the caravan "was never going to cause a mass casualty event but instead was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit." She said that "almost immediately" Joint Counter Terrorism Team investigators believed it was "a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job". She cited "how easily the caravan was found and how visible the explosives were", and the fact that "there was no detonator". She said: "We believe the person pulling the strings wanted changes to their criminal status." She also said the scheme "has had a chilling effect on the Jewish community." NSW Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said the Strike Force Pearl incidents and the caravan "are all being orchestrated by the same individuals". He also said none of those arrested under Strike Force Pearl "have displayed any form of antisemitic ideology".
In May 2025, Sayit Akca, whom the Guardian described as the alleged mastermind, told ABC's Four Corners: "I actually picked Dural". He said he had the caravan moved and told the AFP in order to gain lenient treatment, and he denied the wider allegations. The AFP said he had been charged over an alleged drug importation and was accused of leaving Australia while on bail. NSW Police said some people connected to the investigation had been charged.
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7 OCT 2026 New Orleans truck attack
The FBI said that at about 3:15am CST on 1 January 2025, "an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans". It identified him as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, "a U.S. citizen from Texas", said "An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle" and said it was investigating the attack "as an act of terrorism". On 3 January, the FBI and ATF said "Fourteen innocent people were killed in the attack" and that 35 injured people had been identified. They said New Orleans police "shot and killed Jabbar after he opened fire on them and the crowd". According to the FBI, Jabbar planted two improvised explosive devices on Bourbon Street and intended to detonate them with a transmitter found in the truck. ATF found that he had also set a fire at a rental home on Mandeville Street in an effort to destroy evidence.
Early reports differed on the death toll. On the day, the ABC reported at least 15 dead, and the FBI's first statement said "at least 10". The FBI's later figure was 14 victims. The SMH quoted FBI official Christopher Raia saying Jabbar was "100 per cent inspired by ISIS".
DFAT told the ABC that "no Australians were known to be involved", and that the Australian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate-General in Houston were engaging with US authorities. The SMH reported that Australian security experts called the attack a "wake-up call", noting that ASIO had raised the national terrorism threat level to "probable" in August 2024.
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7 OCT 2026 Manchester synagogue attack
On the morning of 2 October 2025, Yom Kippur, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove a car at people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, and then attacked with a knife. Counter Terrorism Policing said he "deliberately drove the car at innocent members of the public before colliding with a wall", and that he was wearing "a hoax device" that was "confirmed to be a non-viable device". Police said that thanks to "the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access to the synagogue." Al-Shamie was shot dead by police. Two worshippers, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed. Police said Mr Daulby was struck by police gunfire "as a tragic and unforeseen consequence" while helping hold the synagogue doors shut. Three other men were seriously injured.
Police said Al-Shamie "called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State." They also said he "had never been referred to the PREVENT programme, nor was otherwise known to Counter Terrorism Policing." On 20 August 2026, police charged a man with failing to disclose information about terrorist activity in connection with the attack.
SBS reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "I send my condolences to the people of Manchester after the heinous attack on a synagogue on the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar." He also said: "There is no place for terrorism in our streets." Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also condemned the attack.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a state sponsor of terrorism
On 27 November 2025 the Australian Government listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism. It was the first listing under the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025, passed earlier that month.
The listing followed ASIO's assessment that the IRGC orchestrated the attacks on Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney in October 2024 and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. In August 2025 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess had revealed Iran was behind the attacks, and the Government expelled Iran's ambassador.
Under Part 5.3A of the Criminal Code it is now an offence to direct the activities of, be a member of, associate with members of, recruit for, train with, fund or provide support to the IRGC, with penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: "Iran's attacks were unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil." Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing "further empowers our police, security and intelligence agencies to stamp out hatred and violence."
Iran's foreign ministry called the listing "illegal, unjustifiable, and in violation of international rules and norms" (SBS).
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NSW inquiry into right-wing extremism
On 8 November 2025 about 60 members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network rallied on the steps of NSW Parliament in Sydney, chanting Nazi slogans behind a banner reading "Abolish the Jewish Lobby". NSW Police had authorised the protest; Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon blamed a "breakdown in communication" and ordered a review. Premier Chris Minns called it a "shocking display of hatred and racism and anti-Semitism" (SBS).
Eleven days later, on 19 November 2025, the NSW Government introduced the Crimes and Summary Offences Amendment Bill 2025 (Nazi symbols and conduct) and Parliament referred it, together with an inquiry into "measures to combat right-wing extremism in New South Wales", to the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety. The terms of reference covered right-wing extremism only. The Committee reported on the bill on 6 February 2026, heard about 50 witnesses on 18 and 19 February 2026, and tabled its final report, with 12 recommendations, on 23 April 2026. The government's response is due on 23 October 2026.
In its submission the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said "any government investigation should examine all forms of extremism - including Islamic and left-wing - and not focus solely on right-wing extremism", adding that "to investigate strategies or laws which focus solely on one type of extremism is to ignore other types of extremism" (Submission 37). At the hearing on 18 February the Australian National Imams Council's Bilal Rauf said "effective prevention should address all forms of extremism", naming "Hindutva and Zionist ethno-supremist or -nationalist movements" as needing attention alongside neo-Nazis; Australian Federation of Islamic Councils board member Keysar Trad warned that "criminalising language" could turn "political expression by law-abiding, non-violent citizens into a crime" (hearing transcript; ABC). The final report does not respond to the request to widen the scope. It mentions the Bondi Beach terror attack of 14 December 2025 in one paragraph: "Although not an attack by right-wing extremists, the shooting demonstrated the Jewish community's particular vulnerability to extremist violence".
No equivalent inquiry has been held into Islamist radicalisation. The federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security began an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism, covering both Islamist and far-right extremism, in December 2020; it tabled only an interim report before lapsing at the April 2022 election, and the government agreed in September 2022 to refer it again. In a September 2026 interview, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said: "We have an Islamic extremism problem in this country. That is true. It is not growing, but it's still a problem. It represents about 70% of my organisation's caseload."
More sources:
- sbs.com.au - Police authorisation of Sydney neo-Nazi demonstration sparks calls for protest law review
- abc.net.au - Solutions to stop people being radicalised raised at NSW inquiry into right-wing extremism (18 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Hearing transcript (18 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Interim report (6 Feb 2026)
- parliament.nsw.gov.au - Final report (23 Apr 2026)
- aph.gov.au - PJCIS inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism, terms of reference
- homeaffairs.gov.au - Government response to the PJCIS interim report (Sept 2022)
- youtube.com - Mike Burgess interview (17 Sep 2026)
Introduction
On the evening of Sunday 14 December 2025, families were gathered in Archer Park, beside Bondi Beach, for Chanukah by the Sea, a Hanukkah celebration on the first night of the festival. Two gunmen opened fire on the crowd, killing fifteen people and injuring more than 40 others.
The youngest of the dead was 10-year-old Matilda. Among the others were Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the event's organisers, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, and Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman. Peter Meagher, Dan Elkayam, Reuven Morrison, Tibor Weitzen, Marika Pogany, and Boris and Sofia Gurman were also named among the victims.
The attackers
Police identified the alleged attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, of Bonnyrigg. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene. Naveed Akram was wounded, arrested and taken to hospital under police guard.
Authorities allege the attack was terrorism inspired by Islamic State. Court documents allege that the father and son carried out firearms training in the countryside and reconnaissance before the attack, and that improvised explosive devices were thrown towards the crowd but failed to detonate. At the Royal Commission, counsel assisting said that within 29 seconds of the attack starting, 11 people were shot, 10 of them fatally.
The ABC reported that Naveed Akram had been a follower of Sydney preacher Wissam Haddad and spent time at his Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown. Haddad has never been charged with a terrorism offence.
The people who ran at the gunmen
Bystanders confronted the gunmen. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Syrian-born tobacconist, crouched behind a parked car and wrestled a rifle away from one of them, and was then shot four or five times in the shoulder. Boris Gurman, 69, a retired mechanic, tried to disarm one of the attackers, with his wife Sofia, 61, nearby. Both were killed. Reuven Morrison, 61, threw a brick at one of the gunmen, which his daughter said allowed a woman and her baby to flee. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns visited Al Ahmed in hospital.
The week after
A week after the attack, thousands attended the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies vigil at Bondi. The Prime Minister was booed and heckled as he was introduced. Premier Chris Minns and local MP Kellie Sloane received a standing ovation.
The Australian National Imams Council and the Council of Imams NSW said the Australian Muslim community "unequivocally condemn the horrific shootings in Bondi".
Government Response
New South Wales
The NSW Parliament was recalled before Christmas. Gun and protest law changes passed the upper house 18 votes to eight in the early hours of Christmas Eve. Recreational licence holders were limited to four guns and farmers to 10, licences are reviewed every two years instead of five, and the right to appeal a licence removal to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal was removed.
Federal
Federal Parliament was recalled in January. On 20 January 2026 it passed anti-hate speech and gun laws, including a government-funded gun buyback and a power, on ASIO's advice, to list prohibited hate groups. The first group listed under it was Hizb ut-Tahrir, on 5 March 2026.
On 9 January 2026 the Governor-General established the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, with Virginia Bell as Commissioner. Its interim report was tabled on 30 April 2026. Its final report is due on 18 December 2026.
The charges
Naveed Akram was charged with 59 offences on 17 December 2025, including committing a terrorist act and 15 counts of murder. A further 19 charges were laid in June 2026, bringing the total to 78. The proceedings are before the courts. The allegations against him have not been finally determined.
Summary
On 14 December 2025, two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah gathering at Archer Park, Bondi. Fifteen people were killed, the youngest a 10-year-old girl, and more than 40 were injured.
Police allege it was terrorism inspired by Islamic State, carried out by a father and son. The father was shot dead, and the son faces 78 charges and has not yet been tried.
Bystanders ran at the gunmen. Two of them, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were killed doing so.
NSW tightened gun and protest laws before Christmas, and Federal Parliament passed hate and gun laws in January. A Royal Commission into antisemitism and social cohesion is due to report in December 2026.
You be the judge.
