A 30-year-old Israeli man who confronted one of the Bondi Beach attackers and was shot three times remains in critical condition and intensive care after multiple surgeries in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Sunday, a week after the massacre.
Gefen Bitton, who has been working in Australia for the past three years as a garage door technician, is comatose.
Gefen Biton, un Israélien de 30 ans, a couru vers l'un des terroristes lors de l'attaque à Sydney dans le but de l'éliminer et a été gravement blessé par balle par l'autre terroriste. Son état est toujours critique, il est sous sédation et ventilé dans un hôpital en Australie.… pic.twitter.com/OfDOt3P8Jb
— GENGIS KHAN 🇫🇷 🇮🇱 🌿 (@GENGIS9999) December 20, 2025
In video footage, Bitton (dressed in a red shirt)—along with Syrian national Ahmed al-Ahmed, who has won universal praise for his heroism—is seen running toward attacker Sajid Akram before being shot. Bitton managed to call his sister in Israel to tell her that he had been wounded before collapsing.
Gefen Bitton, an Israeli citizen, acted without hesitation when terrorists opened fire on Bondi Beach this past Sunday, targeting innocent children, women, and men. In a courageous attempt to disarm the attacker, Gefen sustained critical injuries and is currently recovering in… pic.twitter.com/gAm2jzmv50
— Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) December 21, 2025
Tom Cohen, a friend of Bitton, told Australia’s 7NEWS that Bitton had attended the “Chanukah by the Sea” celebration at Bondi Beach, organized by the Chabad movement, after a day of hiking in the Blue Mountains, and had looked forward to the candle-lighting. Although he was initially out of the attackers’ shooting range, he chose to confront them head-on, his friends said.
In all, 15 people were murdered, including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, and scores were wounded during the Dec. 14 attack.
