Nurses suspended after ‘sickening’ antisemitic rant goes viral

Two nurses from Bankstown Hospital in Sydney, Australia have been suspended after a disturbing video surfaced showing them threatening to “kill” Israeli patients.

The footage, posted by Israeli content creator Max Veifer, sparked widespread outrage, with political leaders condemning the nurses’ behaviour as "sickening" and "shameful."

The incident is currently under investigation by both local police and the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission. According to Sky News Australia, the nurses involved have been identified as Ahmad 'Rashad' Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh.

Veifer, a TikTok content creator, often uses a random video chat site to engage in conversations with strangers and shares content related to the Middle East.

Upon revealing his Israeli identity during one conversation, he was confronted by Nadir, who identified himself as a “doctor” and was wearing scrubs with a New South Wales Health insignia.

Nadir expressed his anger at the Jewish state, saying: “I’m so upset you’re Israeli. Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to Jahannam [the arabic word for hell].”

Veifer then asked both Nadir and Lebdeh how they would treat an Israeli patient. Lebdeh responded “I won’t treat them, I will kill them,” while Nadir boasted “I sent them to Jahannam. I literally sent them to Jahannam.”

"It's Palestine's country, not your country," Lebdeh added. "One day your time will come ... you will die the most disgusting death."

Nadir went on: “You have no idea how many Israeli ... came to this hospital and ... I send them to Jahannam."

The video, which has gone viral, has been met with condemnation from both state and federal officials.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park described the nurses' behaviour as “vile, disgusting, and appalling.” He confirmed that both nurses have been stood down from their positions at Bankstown Hospital, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

“The whole video, from start to finish, is a concern to me,” Park said in a press conference. “The fact that they chose to do this in uniform, while they should have been caring for patients, is absolutely unacceptable.”

Park stressed that the investigation would be thorough and warned that the nurses may never work in NSW Health again.

Photos of pro-Palestinian messaging has been taken down from the Bankstown Hospital's website (Image: Screenshot X)[Missing Credit]

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the footage, calling it "sickening and shameful."

The federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, and home affairs minister, Tony Burke, issued a joint statement labelling the video as “chilling and vile.”

Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston and Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson also condemned the incident as "utterly disgraceful and deeply disturbing."

The Medical Board of Australia's Code of Conduct states that while doctors have the right to express their personal views and values, they must be mindful of the potential impact on their patients and the reputation of the profession.

Similarly, NSW Health's Code of Conduct stipulates that staff must not suggest or imply that their personal views reflect those of NSW Health when making public statements or engaging in political activities.

Nadir has since called the row a “misunderstanding” and said he will apologise to “Jewish community and anyone I've offended”.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “It was a joke, a misunderstanding… I will use social media, anything, to apologise but I need to go and see the detectives first.

"I didn't mean to offend. It wasn't meant to be like this.”

Lebdeh is yet to comment on media reports around the scandal, but a man identifying himself as her uncle told The Australian: “I'm trying to calm her down to see what the f*** happened.

“She's been a nurse for God knows how long. She's never done anything to hurt anyone.”

He added that Lebdeh was “sorry” for her comments.