School counselors across Sydney prepared Monday to support students affected by the Bondi Beach shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemning the antisemitic terrorism. The prime minister laid flowers at the site as flags flew at half-mast following Australia’s deadliest gun violence in decades.
Educational institutions identified students who attended Sunday evening’s gathering where approximately 1,000 Jewish community members celebrated before father-son attackers Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire. The roughly ten-minute assault traumatized children who witnessed violence or became separated from family members during the chaos. Security forces killed the elder Akram and critically wounded the younger, bringing total deaths to sixteen.
The youngest victim was just ten years old among forty people hospitalized, including other children who survived with physical and psychological wounds. Schools coordinated with mental health professionals to create supportive environments for returning students while respecting families’ needs for private healing time. Educators received guidance on recognizing trauma symptoms and providing appropriate classroom accommodations.
Among those receiving attention was the family of hero Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, whose children processed their father’s hospitalization for gunshot wounds sustained while disarming an attacker. His bravery provided positive narrative for young people grappling with senseless violence, though his children still faced trauma from nearly losing a parent. Students aged ten to 87 in school communities had been affected either as direct victims or through family connections.
This incident marks Australia’s worst shooting in nearly three decades and will require sustained educational support for affected children. Developmental experts warned that young witnesses to targeted violence face elevated risks for anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges without appropriate intervention. As schools reopened, counselors prepared for both immediate crisis response and long-term support, recognizing that children’s processing of trauma follows different timelines and manifests in ways that may not be immediately apparent.