Holocaust survivor shot in Bondi Beach attack dies almost a year after massacre

A Holocaust survivor who was injured during a mass shooting at a beach in Sydney during a Hanukkah celebration last year has died.

Eva Geller, who was born in Romania, died on Thursday night in a Sydney hospital, Executive Council of Australian Jewry director Evan Zlatkis said, the Associated Press reported. She was 90 years old.

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Bondi Beach shooting: Gunmen planned attack for months, police say

Geller was one of about 40 people who were injured when two gunmen opened fire on a group gathered at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach on Dec. 14. Fifteen people were killed.

One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene. His son, Naveed Akram, 25, has been charged with 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.

Rabbi Aron Moss told the Associated Press that Geller had been in relatively good health until she was shot in the leg, but had been admitted to hospital on several occasions in recent weeks with surgical complications.

“She’s a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. A beautiful, positive person who even in these difficult months maintained her positivity,” Moss told the AP on Geller’s family’s behalf, adding that she was told she would never walk again.

“Through sheer determination, she got back up and she did walk again,” he said, noting that walked with a cane after being shot in the leg.

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New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns extended his best wishes to her family and loved ones, calling the news of her death “heartbreaking.”

“Almost a year on, we are still living with the pain and aftershock of that evil act. We will never forget Eva or any victim whose life was changed forever,” Minns added.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said families across the country still feel the impact of the attack.

“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah in peace and safety and instead, her life was changed forever by an act of terror and antisemitism,” he said in a statement.

New South Wales Police is investigating whether Geller’s death will change the charges brought against Akram and are awaiting advice from the state coroner, Australian authorities told the Associated Press.

The alleged assailant has not yet entered a plea and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 24, when prosecutors are expected to finalize the charges. He will face trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Among the victims of the shooting were a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, a husband and wife who died trying to stop one of the suspects, an 82-year-old grandmother and community volunteer, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife, and a retired police detective.

— with files from the Associated Press