Among the 15 victims of a mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach targeting an event for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah were a couple who tried to thwart the attack, and others who died shielding friends and family,

Marika Pogany, 82, was named as one of the victims by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and local media. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Ms Pogany was an avid volunteer and a member of Sydney's Harbour View Bridge Club.

Ahmed al Ahmed, the Syrian-Australian father who wrestled a shotgun from one of the gunmen attacking a Jewish gathering, is facing a long road to recovery.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will seek to introduce legislation that makes it easier to charge people promoting hate speech and violence.

A Holocaust survivor, a 10-year-old and a Chabad rabbi were among the 15 people killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Australia's Bondi Beach on Sunday. Hundreds of people had gathered to mark the first day of the Jewish festival before the attackers struck at the event in Sydney.

The first funeral for one of the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting has taken place in Sydney, with thousands gathering to mourn Rabbi Eli Schlanger. He was among 15 people killed when two gunmen, alleged to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology, opened fire on a festival marking the first day of Hanukkah.

A bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during a mass shooting at Bondi Beach has been identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, whose refugee parents had just arrived from Syria, according to Australian officials and media.