A 14-year-old girl saved the lives of two children by shielding them with her body during Sunday’s terrorist attack on a Hanukkah party in Bondi Beach, Australia, United Hatzalah shared in a press release issued on Tuesday.
The girl, known only as Chaya, shared her story with members of United Hatzalah's Psychotrauma and Crisis unit who visited her in the hospital.
Chaya was attending the Hannukkah event and was located near the attackers when the shooting began, according to Hatzalah.
Amid the chaos, Chaya spotted two young children and threw herself on top of them to shield them from the bullets flying through the air. She was shot in the leg but remained on top of the children until help arrived, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Hatzalah stated that the mother of the two children was killed during the attack.
According to Hatzalah, Chaya recounted the ordeal “softly, without drama, describing her instinctive need to protect the children in those terrifying moments. It was only afterward that the full weight of what she had done became clear.”
Hatzalah describes Chaya’s actions as an extraordinary embodiment of bravery and humanity, becoming a “living reminder that even in the darkest moments, compassion and courage can prevail.”
Perpetrator of Bondi attack was removed from Australian terror watchlist
Sunday's attack claimed the lives of 15 individuals.
The terrorists responsible for the massacre were father and son, Sajid and Naveed Sajid Akram, Australian citizens of Pakistani descent.
Sajid was killed during the attack, and his son, Naveed, was critically injured.
Naveed was reportedly known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) due to suspected ties to radicalized individuals, including an Islamic State terrorist, Isaac El Matari, who is currently serving jail time for planning an Islamic State insurgency.
His possible terrorist ties and concerns that he was interacting with online extremist materials led to a six-month ASIO investigation in 2019. Following the conclusion of the investigation, Naveed was removed from the ASIO watchlist.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.