Parents of youngest Bondi terror victim recount final moments of their daughter
Family of 10-year-old killed at Chanukah celebration describe chaos, bravery and unanswered questions
The parents of the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach terror attack have spoken of the moment their daughter was shot as she ran back towards them during the antisemitic attack on a Chanukah celebration.
Ten-year-old Matilda was among 15 people murdered on 14 December when two ISIS-inspired terrorists opened fire during a Chabad-run family event on Bondi Beach, held to mark the first night of Chanukah.
Speaking to ITV News, her parents said they had attended the annual beach celebration every year since Matilda was born and initially struggled to understand what was happening when gunshots were heard.
“So the first couple seconds, you kind of think it’s going to end, it’s going to end,” her father said. “And then it just kept on going.”
Matilda and her younger sister had gone to the petting zoo area on their own moments earlier. As shots rang out, Matilda ran back towards her parents.
“I crawled across the chairs back to where we were sitting, and that’s when I saw her, she was wounded on the ground,” her father said.
He described trying to protect his children while giving first aid. “I was staying low, covering my children, took off my shirt, and she was conscious, so I could talk to her, and I said, ‘Just calm down,’” he said. “She was saying it was hard to breathe.”
Matilda died in hospital a few hours later.
Her parents said they believe they would now be mourning both of their daughters were it not for the actions of a worker at the petting zoo, who sheltered their six-year-old during the attack.
“I don’t know what would happen if Tash didn’t grab Summer and help her,” her father said. “And I only wish someone else grabbed Matilda, and then it would have all been different.”
“When we go to Matilda’s grave, she gets upset, emotional, and very angry,” her mother said. “She is angry with those boys who did that, and she keeps asking, ‘Why did they do that?’”
The attack has prompted sweeping political repercussions in Australia, with the federal parliament recalled this week to pass new hate speech and gun laws. Matilda’s father questioned whether rushed legislation would prevent future attacks, saying criminals would still find weapons and warning signs had been missed.
Australia will later this week observe a national day of mourning for the victims, with flags lowered to half-mast, a nationwide minute’s silence and public candle-lighting. Landmarks across New South Wales and Canberra will be illuminated, while 15 beams of light will be projected into the sky across the country at the request of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, one for each life lost.
The theme of the day, chosen by the Chabad Bondi community, is “Light will win, a gathering of unity and remembrance.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the day would be a moment for Australians “of all faiths and backgrounds” to come together, while ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the focus on light reflected a central Jewish response to tragedy: “Ensuring that no matter how bleak the day, that we fill the world with light to overcome that.”
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