Dan Alkayim, the 27-year-old French Jewish soccer player killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting attack on December 14, was laid to rest on Thursday in Ashdod in southern Israel.
Alkayim's death was announced by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in a post to X/Twitter in the hours after the attack, sending his condolences to Alkayim's family and sharply condemning the shooting.
"It is with immense sadness that we learned that our compatriot Dan Alkayim would be among the victims of the vile terrorist attack that struck the Jewish families gathered on Bondi Beach in Sydney on the first day of Hanukkah," Barrot wrote.
"This ignoble act is a new, tragic manifestation of an outrageous outpouring of antisemitic hatred to which we must put a stop."
'Spreading light even in dark times'
On Thursday, Ashdod Mayor Yechiel Lasri delivered a eulogy for Alkayim, describing the incident as a tragedy for the Jewish people and asserting that Alkayim was murdered because he was Jewish.
He went on to state that Alkayim's death has left both the city and the country in mourning, and that Ashdod would observe a day of mourning in his honor.
"In every photo of Dan, he looks angelic, full of joy and zest for life—qualities that were brutally cut short by antisemites and terrorists," Lasri said in his eulogy, praising Alkayim's love for all and deep connection to Jewish tradition.
Lasri emphasized Alkayim's heroism during the attack, detailing how he had sacrificed his life to protect a young child.
"Dan didn't think of himself," Lasri explained, "he acted with nobility, willing to give his life for others, but tragically, both he and the child were murdered."
"The Jewish people will continue to stand firm, spreading light even in dark times," Lasri concluded, reaffirming the importance of a strong Jewish state in preserving Jewish identity and resilience, pledging to honor Alkayim's legacy of helping others and self-sacrifice.