Heartbreaking new pics of youngest Bondi victim playing moments before attack
GUT-WRENCHING photos show the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach slaughter full of joy moments before she was brutally murdered.
Photographer Amir Glazer captured images of 10-year-old Matilda laughing without a care in the world just moments before the shooting began.
Matilda was tragically shot in the stomach in front of her six-year-old sister.
With her family’s permission, Glazer shared photos of Matilda happily playing with bubbles, surrounded by equally smiling faces.
“She’s just an innocent girl who had nothing to do with all this evil in the world,” Glazer said.
“All she wanted was to have fun with her family, friends, and little sister.
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“She died for no reason.”
Matilda was one of fifteen people killed when a father and son armed with high-powered weapons opened fire at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
The attack targeted members of the Jewish community who had gathered at the popular tourist spot for a Hanukkah event.
It is thought that the assailants were inspired by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
Fourteen others remain in hospital, including four in critical but stable condition.
Matilda’s cousin, Russel Tevelson, shared a lovely testimony of the young girl he will never forget.
“Whenever she would hug you, she would hug the back of your neck really, really tight,” he said.
“She would laugh at times you shouldn’t be laughing or smile when there’s nothing really worth smiling about.”
Hundreds gathered on Thursday as Matilda was laid to rest.
Mourners, carrying bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief, attended the service at Sydney’s Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall.
This is a Jewish funeral home responsible for customary burial rites.
Ahead of the service, Matilda’s heartbroken mother, Valentyna, said: “I couldn’t imagine I would lose my daughter here. It’s just a nightmare.”
Beaming photos of Matilda have become a focal point for Australia’s mourning after one of the country’s worst hate-fuelled attacks.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese called the attack an “act of pure evil” and one which “deliberately targeted” the Jewish community.
He said: “An act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location, Bondi Beach.
“Yesterday was indeed a dark day in our nation’s history. But we as a nation are stronger than the cowards who did this.”
Police confirmed that at least 40 more people, including children, were injured in the attack carried out by the father-and-son duo.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed was critically injured but has since been recovering.
After waking from a coma on Tuesday, Naveed has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.
A week on from the massacre, Bondi lifeguards lined up for a two-minute silence in memory of those who lost their lives.
Vice president of the North Bondi Surf Club, Phil Suriano, said: “Our members were first responders, and what they’re going through and what they’ve seen, few people have ever seen.”