A man, bloodied and bandaged, who endured the horrors of October 7, expressed disbelief at witnessing similar terror unfold in Australia after surviving a harrowing attack at Bondi Beach. The incident, where two men opened fire, left festivalgoers in shock and fear.

Arsen Ostrovsky, an international human rights lawyer, was enjoying a day out with his family among hundreds of others when the tranquility was shattered, resulting in 15 festivalgoers losing their lives and many more sustaining injuries.

Ostrovsky recounted his near-miraculous survival, having previously lived through the catastrophic events of the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival in Israel. His resilience was tested once again in an unexpected place.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Mr. Ostrovsky stated, “I survived October 7th, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see such terror in Australia. A bullet grazed my head; the doctors called it a miracle that I’m alive, but they assured me I will recover.”

As he looks forward to healing, the former Israeli citizen noted the significance of the night, marking the ‘1st of Chanukah,’ a time traditionally associated with miracles and hope.

The former Israeli citizen said tonight would mark the ‘1st of Chanukah’.

He added: ‘The forces of darkness and hate will never triumph. We will prevail. Am Yisrael Chai.’ 

Earlier, he told 9News: ‘Children, kids at a festival, playing and then all of a sudden it’s absolute chaos. There’s gunfire, everywhere, people ducking, it was absolute chaos.

‘We didn’t know what was happening, where the gunfire was coming from.’

Mr Ostrovsky said he had lived in Israel for 13 years and survived the October 7, 2023 attacks. 

‘We’ve lived through worse, we’re gonna get through this, and we’re going to get the bastards who did this,’ he said. 

‘I saw at least one gunman … firing randomly and in all directions.

‘I saw children fall to the floor, I saw elderly, I saw invalids, it was an absolute bloodbath.

Arsen Ostrovsky was caught up in the horrific shooting

‘October 7, that’s the last time I saw this. I never thought I’d see this in Australia, not in my lifetime, on Bondi Beach of all places, this iconic place.’ 

At least 16 people have died, including children and at least 29 injured after the horrific attack. 

A Jewish festival, Chanukah by the Sea, advertised as a night of family fun, was taking place, with children attending the event when the gunmen opened fire.

Witnesses said two men stepped out of a vehicle on Campbell Parade, near Bondi Pavilion, and opened fire about 6.40pm on Sunday with footage showing blast after blast on the tourist strip. Some witnesses reported more than 30 shots.

A number of people could be seen lying injured and unmoving on grass at North Bondi. 

Others were loaded into ambulances on stretchers while onlookers attempted to provide support. 

People on the ground reported panic, confusion and disbelief as chaos continued to unfold with emergency services on the scene.

One of the gunmen was shot dead by police. The other one was shot, and is in custody.  

Police later said they were working to disarm what they have described as an improvised explosive device.

‘A number of suspicious items located in the vicinity are being examined by specialist officers and an exclusion zone is in place,’ NSW Police said in a statement at 9pm.

Co-chief of the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin described the incident as ‘our worst fear realised’.

‘It’s a family event, a beautiful event every year,’ he told Sky News.

‘If this is what we think it is, it is our worst fear realised… if we were targeted it’s something of a scale none of us could ever imagine.’