Two people have been detained after reports of shots fired and injuries on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, Reuters and DPA reported, citing Australian police.
"The police operation is underway and we continue to urge people to avoid the area," the New South Wales state police reported in a publication in "Ex", without giving further details about the incident.
The Jewish Association of Australia said that there was a shooting during an event to celebrate the Hanukkah holiday.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald reported an unspecified number of injuries, while Sky and ABC broadcast footage showing people lying on the ground.
The ABC said police and paramedics were immediately on the scene, with people being carried on stretchers into ambulances. A spokesman for New South Wales Emergency Services said 13 people had been taken to hospital.
Video footage was circulated on X-rated television showing people on Bondi Beach running away, with multiple gunshots and police sirens heard in the background. Reuters could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the footage.
"We are aware of the active security situation at Bondi Beach. "We urge people in the area to follow the information from the New South Wales Police," said a spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog said that the shooting on Sydney's Bondi Beach was tantamount to an attack on the entire Jewish community, DPA reported.
"At this moment, our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, were attacked by vile terrorists in a very brutal attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach," a statement from his office in Jerusalem quoted Herzog as saying.
"Our hearts are with them," the Israeli president said. "The heart of the entire Israeli nation trembles at this moment as we pray for the recovery of the injured, we pray for them and we pray for those who lost their lives," he stressed.
Herzog said that Israel has repeatedly called for action against what he called a "huge wave" of anti-Semitism affecting Australian society.
Since the start of the Gaza war in 2023, there has been a global increase in anti-Semitism, including attacks on Jews and synagogues. Criticism of Israel has in some cases spilled over into hatred of Jews, DPA notes.