Eva Geller dies after surviving Bondi Beach shooting
The 90-year-old Holocaust survivor was wounded in December 2025 and died Thursday night in a Sydney hospital.
By Alessia Desai ·
Ninety-year-old Eva Geller died Thursday night at a Sydney hospital, ending a year of recovery that began when she was shot at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.
Geller was among roughly 40 people injured when two gunmen opened fire on the crowd on December 14, 2025. The attack left 15 people dead, with victims ranging in age from 10 to 87. Authorities say the gunmen were allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group.
Rabbi Aron Moss, speaking for the family, noted that Geller was strong and generally healthy before the shooting. He said she remained positive through the months of treatment that followed. Doctors had told her after the attack that she would not walk again, yet Moss said she regained her ability to walk through sheer determination. She now uses a cane due to a wound in her leg.
Complications from surgery led to several recent hospital stays. Evan Zlatkis, director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, confirmed the Romanian-born woman passed away on Thursday.
State Premier Chris Minns described the death as heartbreaking. He pledged that Geller and others whose lives were altered by the attack would be remembered. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the continuing pain felt by families. In a statement, he said Geller should have been able to observe Hanukkah safely, but that terror and antisemitism had permanently changed her life.
Naveed Akram, the surviving gunman, faces 15 murder charges, 43 attempted murder charges, and one charge of committing a terrorist act. The 25-year-old has not entered a plea. Police are waiting for advice from a state coroner who will investigate the circumstances of Geller's death. It is not yet known if her death will change the charges against him.
Akram's next court appearance is set for February 24. Prosecutors expect to decide which charges will proceed to trial in the New South Wales state Supreme Court at that time. Sajid Akram, Naveed's father and the other gunman, was killed by police at the scene of the attack.
