Holocaust survivor wounded in Bondi Beach terror attack dies at 90

Holocaust survivor Eva Geller, 90, died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday night, almost a year after she was shot during the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach, Jewish community officials said Friday.

Geller was among around 40 people wounded when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at the beach on December 14, 2025. Fifteen people, aged 10 to 87, were killed in the massacre.

She spent much of the following months undergoing treatment for her injuries, with repeated hospital admissions and complications from surgery. Rabbi Aron Moss, speaking on behalf of her family, said she suffered a stroke after months of treatment at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital.

Doctors had told Geller she would never walk again after she was shot in the leg, but she regained the ability to walk with a cane and attended synagogue during the recent High Holidays, Moss said. He remembered her as a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who remained positive throughout her recovery.

Geller escaped Europe as a child, traveling to Australia with her mother and grandmother. Her late husband was also a Holocaust survivor.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to her on Friday, saying her death underscored the continuing suffering caused by the attack.

“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah in peace and safety,” he said, adding that her life had instead been changed forever by terror and antisemitism.

New South Wales police said they were working with the coroner to establish the circumstances of Geller’s death. It remained unclear whether prosecutors would bring an additional charge against the surviving alleged gunman, Naveed Akram.

Akram, 25, faced 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and a charge of committing a terrorist act. He had yet to enter a plea. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Geller’s funeral was scheduled for Monday, Australian public broadcaster ABC reported.