A survivor of the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel who was wounded in Sunday’s deadly shooting on Bondi Beach in Australia has described the horrific moment two terrorists opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration.
Just two weeks earlier, Arsen Ostrovsky had warned about an “alarming surge in Jew-hatred since Oct. 7.” He cited Australian landmarks being painted with graffiti and other threats and intimidation against the Jewish community.
“I saw blood gushing in front of me. I saw people hit, saw people fall to the ground. My only concern was, where are my kids? Where are my kids? Where’s my wife? Where’s my family?” the international human rights lawyer, who had only moved to the country two weeks ago, told Australian news outlet 9 News.
“I lived in Israel the last 13 years. We came here only two weeks ago to work with a Jewish community, to fight antisemitism, to fight this bloodthirsty, ravaging hatred,” Ostrovsky said, his face bandaged and bloodied.
Ostrovsky, who chairs the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council in Sydney, was one of around 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach when two terrorists opened fire from a bridge, killing 11 people and wounding 29 others.
“There were hundreds of people. There were children, there were elderly. Families enjoying themselves. Children, kids, at a festival, playing,” Ostrovsky said.
“Then all of a sudden, it’s absolute chaos. There’s guns, fire everywhere, people ducking. It was absolute chaos. We didn’t know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from,” he said.
“I saw at least one gunman firing, with what looked like a shotgun, firing randomly in all directions. I saw children falling to the floor, elderly,” Ostrovsky said.
“It was an absolute bloodbath, blood gushing everywhere. October 7, that’s the last time I saw this,” he added.
Ostrovsky was caught up in the deadly Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, 2023, and visited Kibbutz Be’eri, where Palestinian militants killed more than 100 people and took 32 hostage, in the days after the attacks.
“I never thought I would see this in Australia. Not in my lifetime. On Bondi Beach, of all places, this iconic place,” he said.
On Dec. 1, Bondi Beach was hit with a spree of vandalism, with anti-Israel slogans scrawled on signs and surfaces around the area.
Graffiti reading “F–k Zionist Israel,” “F–k the IDF,” “Israel commits genocide,” and “Israel has blood on their hands,” was seen at the famous beach, according to Ostrovsky, who saw it on his morning run.
Now, just two weeks on, Ostrovsky was wounded in an antisemitic attack at the same beach.
“I got hit in the head, I’m bleeding, I’ve lost blood. There are people around me who are far worse. My children, my wife is safe, thank God. They’re okay. They managed to get away. But I didn’t know where they were. There’s no greater fear, no greater horror, [than] not knowing where your family is. They’re okay. I’ll be okay,” he said.
One of the terrorists was killed while another is in life-threatening condition in the hospital following Sunday’s shooting, which continued for more than 10 minutes before police were able to bring a halt to the slaughter.
Improvised explosive devices were found in a vehicle belonging to the deceased terrorist, according to police.
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