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Thursday, January 8, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Under pressure, Australian PM agrees to form royal commission inquiry into Bondi Hanukkah attack
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Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center right) his wife Jodie Haydon (center left) and other guests participate in a ceremony to mark the National Day of Reflection for victims and survivors, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, December 21, 2025, following the terror attack targeting a Hanukkah celebration a week earlier. (AP/Mark Baker)
Australia will form a royal commission inquiry into the mass terror shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says as he faces public demands for answers.
“I’ve repeatedly said that our government’s priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs to heal,” he tells reporters as he announces the high-powered federal inquiry, which officials and critics have demanded he form since days after the antisemitic attack.
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