Sydney: Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore.

According to Philippines News Agency, soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, between two parked cars, before barreling directly toward one of the unsuspecting shooters. In video that has been viewed millions of times around the world, the 44-year-old father can be seen tackling one of the gunmen, wrestling the man's shotgun from his grip and turning it on the attacker.

The story of the Syrian-Australian Muslim shop owner who put an end to the rampage of one of the shooters on Sunday has been seized upon by a country desperately seeking comfort after one of its darkest hours: the slaying of 15 people as they celebrated their Jewish faith.

"At a moment where we have seen evil perpetrated, he shines out as an example of the strength of humanity," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, as he left a Sydney hospital where al Ahmed is being treated for gunshot wounds. "We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country."

A fundraising page established by Australians who had never met al Ahmed had attracted by Tuesday night donations by some 40,000 people, who gave 2.3 million Australian dollars (USD1.5 million). Among the supporters was the billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman, who pledged 99,000 Australian dollars.

Al Ahmed, who is married with two young daughters, faces a long struggle ahead, those who have spoken to him since Sunday's massacre say. He was shot multiple times in the left arm, apparently by the second gunman in the attack as the man fired indiscriminately from a footbridge.

He has already undergone surgery and more operations are scheduled, said Lubaba alhmidi Alkahil, a spokesperson for the Australians for Syria Association, who visited al Ahmed in a hospital late Monday. The "quiet and humble" man was conscious but frail and faced at least six months of recovery, Alkahil said.

Under Australia's national, tax-funded health care system, Al Ahmed, who is a permanent legal resident of the country, is unlikely to face any bills for his care.

In the days since the attack, a pile of floral tributes and notes of thanks has grown outside the small convenience store al Ahmed owns opposite a train station in suburban Sydney.

Meanwhile, he has received visits at the hospital from Australia's leaders, apparently telling Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales state, that he'd take the same action again.

He has been hailed as a hero by world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Australia's Governor General, who is the representative of Britain's King Charles in the country.

Minns said al Ahmed saved "countless" lives in what the premier said was "the most unbelievable scene I've ever seen."