OMM Newsroom
Eva Geller, a 90-year-old woman shot during the Bondi Beach attack in December, has died in a Sydney hospital almost a year after the mass shooting, according to the BBC.
Geller was among dozens seriously injured when two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish event at Bondi Beach on 14 December. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl.
Rabbi Aron Moss of the Nefesh Synagogue said Geller, who escaped the Holocaust as a child, had remained “positive, loving, and strong throughout her life, right until the end”.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his condolences, saying the country would never forget those who “continue to carry the pain” of last year’s attack.
The shooting was Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades. It prompted sweeping gun law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech.
One of the gunmen, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was killed by police at the scene. His son, Naveed Akram, was arrested and charged with 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. He remains before the courts.
Police have not provided details of any possible further charges arising from Geller’s death.
Rabbi Moss confirmed on Friday that Geller, who celebrated her 90th birthday earlier this year, had died on Thursday night.
“She escaped the Holocaust as a child, eventually coming to Australia, and built a beautiful family,” he said.
Her injuries from the shooting meant she needed regular hospital treatment.
“Ever since being shot at the Bondi attack she’d been in and out of hospital, always wanting to come home. She was told she will never walk again but miraculously and with incredible determination she did walk again,” Rabbi Moss said.
Geller had also attended the synagogue during the most recent High Holidays, Moss said, “with an incredible show of strength”.
New South Wales police said they were aware the woman had died overnight and were “now awaiting further advice and are working with the office of the Coroner”.
