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More than $2.6 million has been collected for the man who took away a gun from one of the attackers during the Hanukkah shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, last weekend.
After the attack – which took place on December 14 and left at least 15 people dead – a GoFundMe page was launched for Ahmed al Ahmed, who was hailed as a hero after a video showed him fighting and taking away one of the suspected gunmen.
As of Sunday morning, $2.64 million had been raised through nearly 45,000 donations of al Ahmed, an Australian Muslim of Syrian origin, who was one of the many injured during the attack when a second gunman shot him.
“In a time of chaos and danger, Ahmed al-Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation,” the fundraiser said. “His actions were selfless, undeniably heroic, without regard for his own safety. Early reports indicate he was shot twice while protecting others.”
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns visits Ahmed Al Ahmed, 43, in hospital in Sydney, Australia, on December 15, 2025. (NSW Premier Chris Minns Account / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Organizers added that the campaign was created to show gratitude and support for someone who showed “incredible courage when it mattered most.”
Footage taken from the scene shows al Ahmed, who is the father of two young daughters, aged five and six, sneaking up behind the attacker as the camera pans. He is then seen confronting the gunman who throws the weapon away from him, before turning the weapon on the attacker and holding him at gunpoint.
One of the organizers of the rally, social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski, visited al Ahmed at a Sydney hospital on Friday to present him with a check for $2.5 million, the amount raised at the time.
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Divers and swimmers head to the beach as a tribute following Sunday’s incident at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Friday, December 19, 2025. (Steve Markham, File/AP Photo)
In a video shared on social media, al Ahmed appeared distraught over the act.
Sitting in his hospital bed, al Ahmed asked, “Am I worth it?”
Dereniwski replied, “Every penny.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited al Ahmed earlier this week, hailing him as “Australia’s hero.”
“He risks himself to save others, runs away from danger on Bondi Beach and disarms terrorists,” he wrote in X. “In the worst of times, we see the best of Australia. And that’s exactly what we saw on Sunday night. On behalf of every Australian, I say thank you.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised al Ahmed’s actions as “courageous,” while Chris Minns, premier of Australia’s New South Wales, said “his incredible courage undoubtedly saved many lives.”
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Rabbi Yossi Friedman leads a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, Sydney, Australia, Dec. 20, 2025. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)
The Australian government is investigating the shooting as a terrorist attack against the Jewish community.
A 24-year-old man, who allegedly attacked his 50-year-old father, was slapped with murder charges. The father “died at the scene,” police said.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg, Anders Hagstrom and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
