Following the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Australia, the country’s prime minister has announced plans for a national bravery award for civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil.”
The deadly Bondi Beach anti-Semitic attack killed 15 people who were enjoying a beachside Hanukkah celebration. The attack cast a heavy shadow over Australia’s holiday season. However, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plans to give a special national bravery award to Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim, who disarmed one of the assailants before being shot himself.
Latest picture of hero Ahmed Al Ahmed at St. George Hospital, the brave Muslim who saved innocent lives during the Bondi Beach shooting.
Pray for his swift recovery. pic.twitter.com/WedfkWxwSx
— The Resonance (@Partisan_12) December 15, 2025
Awards will also go to other civilians who stepped in to help, including a brave 14-year-old girl who was shot while shielding two children during the attack. Chaya Dadon is currently recovering in hospital. Meanwhile, Sir Ephraim Mirvis noted that the teenager’s actions symbolize the wider response of Australia’s Jewish community, one that is marked not by anger but by faith, dignity and moral resolve.
“She had reached a position of safety,” he said. “But when she saw others injured and vulnerable, she ran back towards danger. People shouted for her to come back, but she felt compelled to help.”
‘Don’t feel like I’m a hero, I feel like everyone was a hero in that situation,’ says Australian teen Chaya Dadon, who shielded children during the Bondi Beach shooting, adding she was willing to give her life to save them https://t.co/nNOBySFk7r pic.twitter.com/QIF8gnx9tj
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 19, 2025
As reported by Jewish News, the assailants were Sajid Akram, who was shot by police during the December 14 attack, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24. They stand accused of perpetrating the worst massacre in Australia since 1996.
Albanese was speaking at a press conference following a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney when he described Christmas as being in sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by ISIS and antisemitism,” the Australian Prime Minister said. “But at the same time as we have seen the worst of humanity, we have seen the bravery and kindness and compassion … from those who rushed to danger.”
The proposed honors come under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system, for those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards, for their actions during and after the Bondi Beach attack.
As previously reported, the announcement came after the country introduced the toughest firearm laws and a gun buyback scheme, where New South Wales state leader Chris Minns issued a plea for national solidarity. He urged Australians to support their Jewish neighbors at a time that he described as a fortnight of “heartbreak and pain.”
“Everybody in Australia needs to wrap their arms around them and lift them up,” Minns said at the press conference. “I want them to know that Australians have got their back. We’re in their corner and we’re going to help them get through this.”
Moreover, the gun reforms, which passed through the New South Wales state legislature on Christmas Eve, include capping individual gun ownership at four and reclassifying high-risk weapons like pump-action firearms.
Meanwhile, the new legislation tightens existing licensing by reducing permit terms to two years, removing the review pathway for license denials, and restricting gun ownership to Australian citizens.
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but we can’t fail to act on restricting access to weapons which could lead to further violence against our citizens, Minns said when introducing the proposed laws.
