Usman Khawaja, a Muslim of Pakistani origin who migrated to Australia, is part of the Australian squad for the ongoing "The Ashes 2025-26 series" against England.

In the aftermath of the shooting, online trolls targeted the wife of Usman Khawaja, Rachel Khawaja, and their young daughters with vile messages, including calling the children "future school blasters," referring to them as having "cancer terrorist blood," and telling the family to "go home" to Pakistan.

While Khawaja has not publicly responded to the hateful messages, his wife, Rachel Khawaja, shared screenshots of some of the comments they received over the past week, writing, "I've collected a small sample of the comments we have received over the past week. I would love to say this is new, but sadly we have always received these kinds of messages, though they have, of course, gotten worse."

Calling for unity, she said, "It's important more than ever that we come together and stand united. Whether it's standing up against antisemitism, Islamophobia or racism, we shouldn't stand for any of it."

This backlash occurred despite Khawaja's clear condemnation of the violence and his lack of any connection to the perpetrators. Reports noted a surge in Islamophobia following the attack, with some of the abuse linked to online users from varied backgrounds.

In a post addressed to the Jewish community, he wrote, "To the whole Bondi and Jewish community. Two horrible crimes in two years. Truly devastating news from Bondi today."

"Lives lost senselessly, families shattered, the Bondi community traumatised. There are no ords, ownly heartbreak. My thoughts and prayers are with all affected," he said.

Khawaja also shared a statement from the Jewish Council of Australia, which said it was "horrified and shaken" by the mass shooting at a Chanukah event that left many dead and injured.

The Bondi Beach attack, which killed 15 people at a Hanukkah ceremony, was Australia's deadliest mass shooting in decades and sent shockwaves across the nation.

Usman, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has previously faced significant backlash and controversy for his public expressions of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's Genocide on Gaza.

Reacting to the accusations that his support for Palestine was antisemitic, Khawaja strongly rejected the claim, clarifying that "standing up for the people of Gaza is not anti-Semitic, nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia, but everything to do with the Israeli government and its deplorable actions. It is about justice and human rights."

Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, Khawaja had also planned to wear shoes bearing the messages "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal," written in the colours of the Palestinian flag, describing the gesture as a humanitarian statement on the Gaza genocide.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned this, ruling it a political message in breach of regulations prohibiting personal statements on political, religious, or racial causes without approval.

Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja played a pivotal role in Australia's 82-run victory in the third Ashes Test, a win that sealed a 3-0 series lead and ensured the retention of the Ashes.

In the first innings, Khawaja scored a gritty 82 off 126 balls, hitting 10 fours, after walking in during a collapse with Australia struggling early.

Dropped on five, he showed composure under pressure, stitching together crucial partnerships of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 with Alex Carey to stabilise the innings and guide Australia to a competitive total of 371.

In the second innings, he added a fluent 40 off 51 balls, contributing to key partnerships, including one with Travis Head, as Australia set England a daunting target of 435 runs.

Usman Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, and his family emigrated to New South Wales when he was four years old. He made history as the first Australian of Pakistani origin to represent Australia in cricket when he debuted during the 2010-11 Ashes series.

Khawaja was also a member of the Australian team that won the ICC World Test Championship in the 2021-2023 cycle. He finished as the second-highest run-scorer overall with 1,621 runs, the most by any Australian batter in the tournament, and was subsequently named the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year in 2023.