Australian police have launched an investigation into footage that allegedly shows two Sydney hospital nurses making threats against Israeli patients.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb described the incident as unprecedented, calling it “racial hatred on a level that I have not seen before” in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Webb expressed shock at the content and confirmed that the Israeli content creator who first shared the footage had agreed to provide an unedited version of the video chat for investigation.
The social media footage shows Israeli influencer Max Veifer in conversation with two individuals appearing to wear hospital scrubs. In the video, a male is heard saying “I am so upset that you are Israeli, eventually you are going to get killed,” while a female voice states “I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them” regarding Israeli patients. The male also makes threatening gestures and references to sending Israeli patients to “Jahannam” (the Arabic word for hell). The complete context of the edited footage remains unclear, and its authenticity has not been independently verified.
Veifer later told Sky News that he had previously used social media to expose anti-Semitism, stating “We got them” regarding the nurse video.
Health authorities have suspended two nurses, identified in local media as Ahmad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh. Officials report finding no evidence of patients being adversely affected by their care. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the footage as “disgusting, sickening and shameful,” while New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park announced the nurses would be permanently barred from working in the state’s health service.
The ABC reported that Nadir has since apologized to Veifer and “the Jewish community as a whole.” His legal representative, Mohamad Sakr, stated that Nadir “understands what has happened, he is trying to make amends” and noted his previously clean record.
This incident occurs amid increasing tensions in Australia, which has experienced multiple anti-Semitic incidents including an alleged bomb plot and synagogue arson attacks. Advocacy groups report rising levels of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Australia since October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.
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