Tragedy at Bondi Beach: Innocent 10-Year-Old Girl Gunned Down in Sickening Hanukkah Massacre
- Aunty of young victim Matilda pays heartbreaking tribute to her “sweet, innocent and beautiful” niece
- Matilda’s six-year-old sister Summer witnessed the horror and is now “devastated”
- Father and son shooters Sajid and Naveed Akram brought terror to the beach, leaving 15 people dead and countless lives shattered
In a tragedy that has sent shockwaves through the community, a 10-year-old girl named Matilda was brutally murdered in a senseless act of violence at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach. Matilda’s aunty, Lina Czernik, has described the young girl as “innocent” and “beautiful”, saying her presence will be deeply missed by her family.
“With the permission of her mother, I would like to say that Matilda was a sweet, innocent, beautiful, friendly, genuine girl,” Czernik told 7NEWS.com.au, her voice shaking with grief. “It’s a big loss for our family. She was there with her younger sister who witnessed everything and is now devastated.”
Heart-wrenching photos taken during the event show Matilda beaming with joy, her face painted and smiling as she pats a small goat. Another photo captures the tender moment she shared with her six-year-old sister Summer, arm-in-arm and full of laughter.
Czernik revealed that Matilda’s father was “beyond stressed” and her sister was distraught, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her sibling. “They were the happiest kids you can imagine,” she said. “It’s just like they didn’t have much, but they were happy with what they had, you know, like going out on the beach for walks. Just simple things in life. We will never be a happy family again.”
The attack, which claimed the lives of 15 people, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Dan Elkayam, Alex Kleytman, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, and Reuven Morrison, was carried out by father and son shooters Sajid and Naveed Akram. The pair were caught on video firing shots into crowds of people, bringing terror to the beach. Sajid was eventually shot and killed by police, while Naveed was critically injured and taken to hospital, where he is expected to survive.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Matilda’s family in their time of need.