Two Muslim nurses were immediately suspended after a video in which they bragged about killing and refusing to treat Israeli patients in Australia went viral.
Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh were colleagues on night duty at Sydney’s Bankstown Hospital when the video was taken by Israeli influencer Max Veifer and later posted on social media.
In the clip of his face-to-face conversation with the nurses, Veifer remains calm as Lebdeh calls him a “piece of sh*t” and wishes him “the most horrible death.” The two healthcare workers then candidly express their hatred toward Israelis and their intent to kill them—suggesting that Israeli patients have already been murdered in the hospital.
From the video posted Tuesday night:
Veifer: “Let’s say an Israeli …”
Lebdeh: “I won’t treat them. I will kill them.”
Veifer continues: “If an Israeli is in Australia and God forbid something happens to him and he comes to your hospital …”
Lebdeh: “Not God forbid. A help to God.”
Nadir: “You have no idea how many Israeli dog came to this hospital and [hand-motioning to slit his throat] I send them to Jihannom [Hell]”:
[Note the two hospital workers were later confirmed to be nurses, not doctors.]
The nurses’ vile threats come amid a surge in antisemitism across Australia following the Hamas terror attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Just last month, as we covered here, a Sidney childcare center was sprayed with antisemitic graffiti and set on fire. And in early December, masked attackers firebombed the country’s largest synagogue in the city of Melbourne. The fire destroyed priceless handwritten Torah scrolls and caused millions of dollars of damage.
The Australian government has faced criticism for its weak response to the ongoing antisemitism. But Veiffer’s video sparked outrage and a swift reaction.
By Wednesday morning the healthcare workers had been removed from their posts and a criminal investigation was underway. At a press conference, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park appeared livid over their “vile and disgusting” behavior. He apologized directly to the Jewish community, promising the nurses would “never, ever work in New South Wales hospitals again.” Susan Pearce, the NSW Health Secretary, held back tears as she addressed the media over the workers’ threats to kill their patients—threats she never imagined in “her wildest dreams.” “At a time of unprecedented antisemitism in our country,” added Health Minister Mark Butler, “this is a particularly sickening video.” And Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who faces an election in May, called the comments “shameful.”
Nadir and Lebdeh are now trying to wriggle out of their comments, reportedly claiming they were a “miscommunication” and “a joke.” No one sees the humor. Nor does the government accept the supposedly “sincere” apology offered by Nadir’s lawyer on his behalf.
Australian police are conducting an extensive inquiry into the records of all the patients they’ve treated, 7News Australia reports, noting that criminal charges against the two nurses appear likely.
Meanwhile, by merely exposing the nurses—working in the hospital, clad in uniform, brazenly threatening to kill their Israeli patients—Veifer told Sky News his mission was accomplished. “We got them.”
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