Two nurses working at a hospital in Sydney were suspended after allegedly threatening to kill and refusing to treat Israeli patients in a “vile and disgusting” TikTok video.
The nurses – named in Australia as Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh – face an investigation after being identified in the footage, which has received widespread condemnation from politicians as Australia struggles with a surge of anti-Semitic attacks.
The pair from Bankstown Hospital in south-west Sydney are said to have apologised in the wake of the scandal.
The video is a recording of an online conversation between Max Veifer, a content creator from Israel, and a man and a woman in medical scrubs.
They were speaking on a video chat platform similar to Chatroulette, which Mr Veifer uses to speak to people across the globe.
“I’m going to be really honest with you … I’m so upset you’re Israeli,” Mr Nadir said in the clip, after Mr Veifer identifies where he is from. “Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to Jahannam [hell].”
‘I won’t treat them’
According to Reuters, when Ms Abu Lebdeh was asked what the pair would do if someone from Israel needed medical care at their hospital, she said: “I won’t treat them, I will kill them.”
In the visibly edited video, Mr Nadir added: “You have no idea how many [Israelis] came to this hospital and I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam.”
It is not clear what was said in parts of the exchange excluded in the video.
After the footage was posted online, authorities tracked down the nurses and they were “stood down immediately”, according to the New South Wales state health minister.
A police strike force, tasked with investigating anti-Semitic crimes, was investigating potential offences stemming from the online video, including breaches in hate speech law.
Their suspension will continue until the investigation concludes.
Officials said the hospital has examined its patient records, but stressed that no evidence of harm to patients was uncovered.
Ryan Park, the health minister, said: “The whole video, from start to finish, is a concern to me,” adding the behaviour was “vile, disgusting and appalling”.
“[It’s] the fact that they chose to do this in uniform, that they chose to do this while they should have been caring for patients,” the Labor party politician said.
‘Driven by hate’
Anthony Albanese, the prime minister, who has been criticised by the centre-Right opposition party for failing to address a rise in anti-Semitism – said the “anti-Semitic video… [is] driven by hate and it’s disgusting”.
Australia has seen a surge in anti-Semitism since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023, including the firebombing of a childcare centre and the setting alight of a synagogue – as well as the discovery of a caravan laden with explosive gel intended for Jewish targets in Sydney.
Earlier this month, the government imposed a mandatory one-year prison sentence for performing the Nazi salute as part of an effort to tackle the issue.
After the nurses were named, a clinic Mr Nadir works for reportedly removed his name from the website.
Mohamad Sakr, a solicitor for Mr Nadir, said his client had sent a “very sincere apology to not only that individual, but to the Jewish community as a whole”.
Mr Sakr added: “He understands what has happened, he is trying to make amends for what has happened. He has never appeared before the court in relation to any criminal matters. He is a person of prior good character. It is unfortunate to find himself in a situation like this.”
The outlet News.com.au said Ms Abu Lebdeh had also apologised for her comments, quoting a man who said he was her uncle.
Speaking outside her home, the man said she “would never be a threat” and would make a broader comment soon.