Mystery hero who helped Ahmed al-Ahmed during Bondi attack has been identified
The identity of a heroic man who helped Ahmed al-Ahmed disarm the gunman during Syndey's Bondi Beach shooting has been revealed.
Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 celebrating Hanukkah in Bondi’s Archer Park on Sunday evening (14 December).
One alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, has been charged with 59 offences, while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.
In the wake of the tragedy, one man has been hailed as a hero by not only Australians but people around the world who saw the footage of his bravery.
Advert
Syria-born Ahmed al-Ahmed, who is a father of two and owns a fruit and veg shop, took it upon himself to wrestle the perpetrator to the ground and disarm him, injuring himself in the process but no doubt saving countless lives.
He was rushed into hospital for surgery after sustaining multiple bullet wounds and is currently in hospital.
However, there was another man in the now-viral footage who helped Ahmed take down the shooter, and he has also now been identified.
In the video, we see Ahmed get the gun and turn it on the attacker, while a second man in a red T-shirt also bravely runs over to help him.
That man was Gefen Bitton - a 30-year-old Israeli man who has been living and working in Australia.
His friends have identified him on GoFundMe and explained exactly what happened, as they're trying to raise money for the hero's medical expenses and rehabilitation as he's 'fighting for his life' in the ICU.
They explained how he was sitting on a bench at Bondi with a friend and wanted to 'stay until the last moment until the Channukiah lighting was completed'.
The GoFundMe, which is currently sitting at $50,400, reads: "When the shooting began, Gefen jumped up with his friend and ran, but when his friend looked back just a second later, Gefen had disappeared from sight.
"A few minutes later, another friend received a phone call from Gefen’s sister in Israel 'My brother just called. He said he’s been shot twice, and then he hung up'.
"From there, a search began. With no information about his condition, his whereabouts or whether he had been evacuated, his friends drove down to Bondi trying to find any indication that Gefen was alive, and from there went from hospital to hospital searching for him."
They explained that finally he was found 'already in surgery with severe gunshot wounds'.
Over the next two days, Gefen’s dad, who had flown out from Israel, with his friends, tried to piece together what happened and through using 'Find My Phone' they realised that his last location was closer to the site of the shooting than where he had initially been sitting.
After seeing the social media footage, they eventually realised that Gefen was the man in the red shirt in the video.
"Gefen had escaped, he was safe, but when he saw the terrorist, he ran into the line of fire to help. He made the decision to put himself at risk to save the lives of others," his friends explained.
Adding: "As Ahmad Al Ahmad heroically jumped on the terrorist, Gefen ran in alongside to confront the terrorist. There, he was shot, fell to the ground, and shot again. Now in the ICU, Gefen’s put his own life at risk with his selfless actions."
Gefen's friend Tom Cohen told 7NEWS that five days on, he remains in intensive care, unresponsive, and has undergone five surgeries.
He said Gefen was shot in the lower abdomen near the hip, shattering his pelvic bone and bone fragments caused severe internal injuries, meaning doctors required three to four operations to stop the internal bleeding.
He added that it's unclear whether Bitton will regain full use of his leg, and that the road to recovery will be long.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
Topics: Australia, GoFundMe, News, World News, Crime, True Life, Real Life
Madison Burgess