Israeli Ambassador to Australia Maimon Amir met with Ahmed al Ahmed during Ahmed’s recovery from the Dec. 14 Bondi shooting, alongside New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, the Israeli Embassy in Australia said on Tuesday.
Amir praised Ahmed’s bravery for confronting a gunman firing on civilians, including children and women, calling him a “true hero.”
Ambassador @MaimonAmir was honored to meet Ahmed al Ahmed, together with Premier @ChrisMinnsMP , as he continues his recovery from the Bondi shooting. He expressed deep appreciation for Ahmed’s extraordinary bravery. By confronting the terrorist as he opened fire on children,… pic.twitter.com/6DWP9AoXdW
— Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) December 30, 2025
Ahmed was injured while intervening in the antisemitic terrorist attack on a Jewish gathering to celebrate Chanukah at the popular beach town in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. He was one of dozens who suffered gunshot wounds in the attack, which left 15 people dead.
The Syrian-born Muslim, who became an Australian citizen five years ago, told CBS News in an exclusive interview that his only goal was to save innocent lives.
“I couldn’t handle it—to hear kids, and the women, and oldest and men, screaming and asking for help,” he said.
Ahmed said he didn’t see anyone else trying to stop the massacre, so he crouched behind parked cars and waited for a chance to act.
“My soul, my mind, my everything asked me to go and defend innocent life,” the convenience store owner said. “I didn’t think about it.”
Ahmed tackled the gunman from behind, shouting at him to drop the weapon. “I don’t want to see people killed in front of me,” he said.
He was shot five times but managed to disarm the attacker. “Everything in my heart and brain worked just to save people’s lives,” he said.
Now recovering in a Sydney hospital, Ahmed said he’s proud of what he did. “I can’t call them strangers,” he said. “They are human beings, like me, like you.”
