Israeli Gefen Bitton in critical condition after fighting terrorists during Bondi Beach terror attack

After initially escaping the immediate area, Bitton turned back toward the gunmen and was shot three times.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli national Gefen Bitton remains in critical condition after being shot multiple times while attempting to confront terrorists during a deadly antisemitic attack at a Chanukah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, according to friends and Australian media.

Bitton, 30, was attending the Chanukah by the Sea event on Sunday night when two attackers opened fire on the crowd. After initially escaping the immediate area, Bitton turned back toward the gunmen and was shot three times.

He was later transported to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where he has undergone several surgeries and remains in intensive care.

Friends later identified Bitton in widely circulated video footage from the attack. In the clips, he is seen running toward one of the assailants as another attendee, Ahmed Al Ahmed, struggles with a gunman in an attempt to disarm him. Moments later, Bitton collapses, apparently after being hit by gunfire from the second attacker.

Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who owns a local produce business, was also shot during the confrontation and required surgery. Australian police said the attack was carried out by a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, who opened fire on the Jewish gathering, killing 15 people in what authorities described as the country’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.

According to Australia’s 7NEWS, Bitton had been living and working in Australia for the past three years as a garage door technician. Friends said he had spent the day hiking in the Blue Mountains before attending the Bondi Beach celebration and was eager to stay for the candle lighting.

In the chaos following the shooting, one friend lost track of Bitton. Shortly afterward, Bitton managed to call his sister in Israel to tell her he had been shot. Friends in Sydney later located him at the hospital.

A GoFundMe campaign launched by family friend Cayli Barr described Bitton’s actions as an act of bravery. “Our beautiful friend Gefen was shot three times with a shotgun and is now fighting in the ICU, after his act of heroism on Sunday night,” the page reads. “On behalf of his dad and his family, we are raising money for his medical expenses and rehabilitation — a long road ahead.”