Surfers converge on Bondi to remember shooting victims
After a week filled with grief and anger, hundreds have taken to the waters off Bondi in a show of unity after gunmen killed 15 people at the famous beach.
Hundreds of surfers and beach goers have returned to Bondiâs waters to pay tribute to those killed in a horrifying mass shooting.
Australiaâs most famous beach has reopened after gunmen opened fire on Sundayâs Hanukkah celebrations, killing 15 people.
Images of the dead and grieving have shocked the world but the local and international community are determined not to let the terror attack divide them.
Just a few hundred metres away from the scene of the massacre, surfers, paddle boarders, and others converged in massive circles off the shores of Bondi in a show of solidarity.
âItâs just beautiful,â Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin told ABC.
âItâs a gorgeous day and you see that scene â Iâve seen paddle outs before, but never of that size.â
More than $5 million has been donated across various fundraisers, with more than 70,000 donations from people in more than 60 countries made to verified pages for victims, GoFundMe said.
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This includes includes $2.5 million for Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who wrestled a firearm from one of the gunmen before being shot twice in the arm.
âI deserve it?â he asked, as he was presented with the oversized cheque.
In a video posted to social media, he urged people across the world to âstand with each other, all human beings and forget everything bad ⌠keep going to save livesâ.
The Police Association of NSW has also set up appeals for two officers injured in the attack, including one who could lose his vision permanently, that have reached nearly $750,000.
More than 25,000 blood donations have been made since an appeal for help from Lifeblood in the wake of the attack.
About 90,000 Lifeblood appointments have been booked across Australia in a record-breaking show of support.
âWeâve seen nothing short of a tsunami of generosity and decency come our way to help boost supplies and help those in hospitals, from every corner of the country,â Lifeblood spokeswoman Jemma Falkenmire said.
âWhat began as a frighteningly large (need for blood) on Sunday night ⌠has become a full-scale and national operation to accept thousands of generous gifts of blood.â
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Those injured in the attack continue to be discharged from Sydney hospitals, with 16 still receiving care.
One is in a critical condition and four are listed by NSW Health as critical but stable.
The Australian National Imams Council has issued a message of togetherness for all preachers to incorporate in their sermons during Friday prayers.
âIslam calls believers to be builders of unity and peace, not agents of division and harm,â the council said.
âThis is a time for unity, not division; for compassion, not hatred; and for standing together as one nation.â
The Jewish Council of Australia, which has been critical of the Albanese governmentâs efforts to address growing anti-Semitism, said grief should not be politicised or used as a weapon to sow division.
âThis is a week of profound grief for Jewish people and the entire nation,â the council said.
âNo policy response from the government should lose sight of the human cost of this violence.â
Police intercepted two cars at Liverpool, in Sydneyâs southwest, on Thursday night over concerns that a âviolent actâ was possibly being planned.
Investigations are ongoing but police have not identified any connections to the Bondi terror attack.
-with AAP
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