Israeli President Herzog to visit Sydney amid tensions over Bondi Beach massacre and Gaza war

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - People stand near flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honour the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration, in Sydney December 16, 2025. — Reuters pic

SYDNEY, Feb 6 — Israel’s President Isaac Herzog lands in Australia on Monday to honour victims of a mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the deadliest antisemitic attack since Hamas’s assault of October 7, 2023.

The head of state has said he will “express solidarity and offer strength” after gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at the beach on December 14, killing 15 people.

Herzog’s four-day trip has been welcomed by many Jewish Australians.

“His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community,” said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community’s peak body.

Pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests nationwide, including in central Sydney where police have refused to authorise demonstrations under new powers granted after the Bondi Beach attack.

Amnesty International Australia has urged supporters to rally for an end to “genocide” against Palestinians, and urged Herzog be investigated for alleged war crimes.

High-profile Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti—a member of a UN-established inquiry into rights abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories—called this week for Herzog’s arrest.

‘Full immunity’ 

The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry found in 2025 that Herzog “incited the commission of genocide” by saying all Palestinians—“an entire nation”—were responsible for the Hamas attack.

Israel has “categorically” rejected the inquiry’s report, describing it as “distorted and false” and calling for the body’s abolition.

Australia’s federal police have ruled out an arrest, with senior officials telling lawmakers this week that Herzog has “full immunity” covering civil and criminal matters, including genocide.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pleaded for protesters to remember the reason for Herzog’s visit.

“President Herzog is coming particularly to engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives,” Albanese told reporters ahead of the visit.

“The nation needs to look towards uniting,” said the prime minister.

Critics have accused his centre-left government of moving too slowly to protect Jewish Australians despite a rise in antisemitic attacks since 2023.

‘Destruction of Gaza’ 

Alleged Bondi Beach shooter Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack.

An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.

Among the victims were an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted one of the gunmen, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, who was described at her funeral as a “ray of sunshine”.

But some in the Jewish community disagree with the invitation to Herzog.

The progressive Jewish Council of Australia has written an open letter to say he is not welcome.

“We refuse to let our grief for the Bondi massacre be used to legitimise a leader who has played an active role in the ongoing destruction of Gaza, including the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and the displacement of millions,” it says. — AFP