SYDNEY, Australia — Australia’s leaders agreed Monday to toughen gun laws after attackers killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, the worst mass shooting in decades decried as antisemitic “terrorism” by authorities.

Dozens fled the tourist hotspot in panic as a father and son fired into crowds packing the Sydney beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening.

A 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a local rabbi were among those killed, while 42 others were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the leaders of Australia’s states and territories in response Monday, agreeing with them “to strengthen gun laws across the nation”.

Albanese’s office said they had agreed to look into ways to improve background checks for firearm owners, bar non-nationals from obtaining gun licenses and limit the types of weapons that are legal.

Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 people in the tourist town of Port Arthur in 1996, which led to sweeping reforms that were long seen as a gold standard worldwide.

Those included a gun buyback scheme, a national firearms register and a crackdown on the ownership of semi-automatic weapons.

But Sunday’s shootings have raised fresh questions on how the father and son — who public broadcaster ABC reported had possible links to the Islamic State group — obtained the weapons.

– ‘An act of pure evil’ –

Police are still unravelling what drove the shootings, although authorities have said it targeted the nation’s Jews.

Albanese called it “an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores”.

A string of antisemitic attacks has spread fear among Australia’s Jewish communities following the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

The Australian government this year accused Iran of orchestrating a recent wave of antisemitic attacks and expelled Tehran’s ambassador nearly four months ago.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia’s government of “pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism” in the months leading up to the shooting, referring to a letter he sent to Albanese following Canberra’s announcement that it would recognise Palestinian statehood in August.

Other world leaders expressed revulsion, with United States (US) President Donald Trump condemning the “antisemitic attack”.

The gunmen opened fire on an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival.

They took aim from a raised boardwalk looking over the beach, packed with swimmers cooling off on the steamy summer evening.

Witness Beatrice was celebrating her birthday and had just blown out the candles when the shooting started.

“We thought it was fireworks,” she told AFP.

“We’re just feeling lucky we’re all safe.”

Carrying long-barrelled guns, they peppered the beach with bullets for 10 minutes before police shot and killed the 50-year-old father.

The 24-year-old son was arrested and remains under guard in hospital with serious injuries.

Hours after the shooting, police found a homemade bomb in a car parked close to the beach, saying the “improvised explosive device” had likely been planted by the pair.

Rabbi Mendel Kastel said his brother-in-law was among the dead.

“We need to hold strong. This is not the Australia that we know. This is not the Australia that we want.”

Wary of reprisals, police have so far avoided questions about the attackers’ religion or ideological motivations.

Misinformation spread quickly online in the wake of the attacks, some of it targeting immigrants and the Muslim community.

Police said they responded to reports on Monday of several pig heads left at a Muslim cemetery in southwestern Sydney.

– Panic and bravery –

A brave few dashed towards the beach as the shooting unfolded, wading through fleeing crowds to rescue children, treat the injured and confront the gunmen.

Footage showed one man, identified by local media as fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, grabbing one of the gunmen as he fired.

The 43-year-old wrestled the gun out of the attacker’s hands, before pointing the weapon at him as he backed away.

A team of off-duty lifeguards sprinted across the sand to drag children to safety.

“The team ran out under fire to try and clear children from the playground while the gunmen were firing,” said Steven Pearce from Surf Life Saving New South Wales.

Bleeding victims were carried across the beach atop surfboards turned into makeshift stretchers.

A grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing the killing, including a camping table and blankets.

People gathered flip-flops, sneakers and thermos flasks and lined them up in the sand for collection.

A makeshift flower memorial next to Bondi Beach swelled in size on Monday evening as mourners gathered to pay tribute to the victims and mark the second day of Hanukkah.

Hundreds of mourners, including members of the Jewish community, sang songs, clapped and held each other.

Leading a ceremony to light a menorah candle, a rabbi told the crowd: “The only strength we have is if we bring light into the world.”