Eva Geller, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor seriously wounded in the Bondi Beach terror shooting, has died in a Sydney hospital nearly a year after the attack, authorities said on Friday, November 6. Her death brings the number of people killed in the antisemitic attack to 16.
Geller was attending a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney beach on December 14, 2025, when two gunmen fired into the crowd. Dozens were wounded in the shooting, Australia’s deadliest in decades. Rabbi Aron Moss, who was the rabbi at Bondi’s Nefesh Synagogue, where Geller worshipped, said her injuries had required repeated hospital stays since the attack.
Speaking in remarks carried by Australian media on Friday, Moss remembered Geller’s warmth and determination to survive. She lived to celebrate her 90th birthday before dying overnight in hospital. Although doctors had told her she would not walk again after being shot, Moss said she eventually regained that ability through determination. She spent much of the period following the attack confined to bed but continued to smile.
Geller escaped Romania as a child during the Holocaust and lost many relatives, Moss said. She also lost her husband relatively early in life. Despite those experiences, he recalled, she retained her happiness, positive outlook and enthusiasm for life until her death.
New South Wales police acknowledged her death in a statement and said they were awaiting further information while working with the coroner’s office. Police allege that the gunmen, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, drew inspiration from the Islamic State jihadist group. Officers killed Sajid at the scene. Naveed was shot and survived, and faces charges that include 15 counts of murder and a terrorism offense.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Geller should have been able to observe Hanukkah safely and peacefully, but instead had her life permanently altered by terrorism and antisemitism. He expressed support for her relatives, friends and the Jewish community as they mourned.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns described the death as “heartbreaking” and offered condolences to Geller’s family. State Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said it underscored the suffering caused by the attack and the continuing need to support the Jewish community, emergency responders and everyone affected.
A government-backed inquiry into antisemitism established after the shooting is scheduled to deliver its findings on December 18. Geller’s funeral is expected to be held next week, according to Australia’s ABC public broadcaster.
