Eva Geller, 90, Holocaust Survivor Wounded in Bondi Beach Attack, Dies; Toll Rises to 16
SYDNEY — Eva Geller, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor, died on Thursday night, November 5, in a Sydney hospital. She was a survivor of the Bondi Beach attack of December 14, 2025, and had spent months in and out of hospital over the past year suffering complications from her gunshot wounds, including a stroke during treatment.
Geller was one of around 40 people wounded when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. Fifteen people were killed at the scene, aged 10 to 87, in Australia's deadliest mass shooting in decades, which Australian authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack. Several news outlets reported that Geller's death raises the toll from the massacre to 16, but New South Wales police said they were aware of her death and were working with the coroner's office, and had not yet formally confirmed whether she would be recorded as the 16th victim.
Evan Zlatkis, director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, confirmed Geller's death. Rabbi Aron Moss of the Nefesh Synagogue in Bondi Beach, which Geller attended, said she had been "strong and pretty healthy right up until the Bondi attack where she was shot," and that doctors had initially told her she would never walk again; she eventually regained the ability to walk and reached her 90th birthday.
Police identified the gunmen as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 25. Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the scene. Naveed Akram has been charged with 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and one of committing a terrorist act, and is scheduled to appear in court next on February 24. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by Islamic State.
Geller's funeral is scheduled for Monday. A government-backed inquiry into antisemitism and social cohesion, established following the massacre, is due to issue its final report on December 18.
Source: NSW Police
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：澳大利亚悉尼邦迪海滩。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
