Sawt Falasteen - Australia stops in silence for Bondi Beach shooting victims

A father and son are accused of targeting the family-thronged Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach, striking on a sunny day at a tourism hotspot that is emblematic of Australians' ocean-loving lifestyle.

Gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the December 14 assault. His 24-year-old son Naveed, who survived and remains in hospital under police guard, is facing charges including terrorism and 15 murders.

Authorities say the attack, one of the deadliest in Australian history, was inspired by "Islamic State ideology".

Exactly a week after the first reports of gunfire at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT), Australians will fall silent for a minute on a national day of reflection with the theme "light over darkness".

Flags will fly at half-mast, and people are being asked to light a candle in their windows to honour the victims and stand by the Jewish community, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on the eve of the memorial.

- 'Bring back the light' -

"Sixty seconds carved out from the noise of daily life, dedicated to 15 Australians who should be with us today," said the prime minister, who will join commemorations at Bondi Beach.

"It will be a moment of pause to reflect and affirm that hatred and violence will never define us as Australians."

Federal and state authorities are also in talks with Jewish community leaders about establishing a permanent memorial at Bondi Beach, as well as holding a national day of mourning in the new year.

Many people have already marked the attack with unofficial acts of remembrance.

Hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled out at Bondi Beach on Friday to join in a huge circle as they splashed the water and roared with emotion.

"They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I'm swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light," security consultant Jason Carr told AFP.

On Saturday, surf lifesavers lined the shore of Bondi Beach and fell silent for three minutes, some crying or hugging each other in a ceremony mirrored by other ocean rescuers around the country.

- Grappling with a gunman -

The mass shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism, anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm, and promises to stiffen laws and penalties against hatred, extremists, and gun ownership.

But alongside the killing, stories have emerged of courage and selflessness: unarmed beachgoers grappling with the heavily-armed assailants, shielding relatives, friends and total strangers, or braving the bullets to treat the wounded.

Shopkeeper Ahmed al Ahmed, a father of two who moved to Australia from Syria almost a decade ago, has been praised after a video shared online showed him ducking between cars and then wresting a gun from one of the attackers.

He was shot several times in the shoulder.

The Australian government has announced plans for a suite of national measures to crack down on gun ownership and hate speech, promising stricter federal laws and harsher penalties.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns outlined plans Saturday for his state to ban "hateful" slogans such as "Globalise the Intifada" and symbols such as Islamic State group flags.

- 'Ray of sunshine' -

Many Jewish Australians have criticised the authorities for not doing more to protect them before the attack.

"Do we feel safe? You know, the answer is 'not really', to be honest," rabbi Yossi Friedman told AFP at a floral memorial for the victims.

Families have been holding funerals for their loved ones. One of the most poignant was for 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest of those killed, who was described at the service as "our little ray of sunshine".

A counter-terrorism task force of police and intelligence services is now poring over the suspects' movements and contacts, including a four-week trip they made to the southern Philippines weeks before the Bondi attack.

"We will identify the methods, capability and connections of these alleged offenders to determine who the alleged offenders communicated with leading up to the attack," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST