Overview
- Hundreds gathered in Ashdod for the funeral of Dan Elkayam, 27, a French computer engineer killed in the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting.
- His mother, Annie, delivered a tearful eulogy, and Ashdod mayor Yehiel Lasry denounced the loss as an antisemitic killing.
- Australian police on Dec. 17 charged Naveed Akram with terrorism and 15 counts of murder over the attack.
- The second attacker, Akram’s father, was shot dead by responding officers at the scene.
- The massacre that left 15 dead has been described as Australia’s worst in decades, and Israeli leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized Australian decisions such as recognizing a Palestinian state.