UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the "heinous deadly attack" on Sunday against Jewish families gathered in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate Hanukkah.
In a social media post , Mr. Guterres said he was "horrified" by the incident.
"My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hannukah, a festival celebrating the miracle of peace and light vanquishing darkness," he wrote.
At least 11 people were killed when two gunmen opened fire on the Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, which authorities have called a terrorist attack.
Two of the victims were police officers, according to media reports. One of the gunmen was killed and the other was taken into custody.
The Secretary-General was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, where he addressed the opening of the 11th World Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
The initiative was established 20 years ago to promote respect and understanding between cultures and religions.
Hannukah, also spelled Chanukah, is the Jewish festival of lights.
It celebrates the Jewish people regaining the freedom to practice their religion more than 2,000 years ago in a battle against Seleucid (Syrian-Greek) rule.
The eight-day celebration is marked by lighting candles each night on a stand called a menorah which is placed in windows or interior doorways.
