A pair of nurses from Bankstown Hospital have been stood down after a video was shared of them threatening to kill any Israeli patient who came into their facility.
Israeli content creator Max Veifer connected with nurses Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh on social media platform Chatruletka and began talking.
In the video, Nadir wrongly claims he is a doctor and asks where the influencer is from. Upon learning he is Israeli, Nadir launches into an antisemitic tirade, saying Veifer will get killed and go to “Jahannam,” the Islamic hell.
When Veifer asks why he will be killed, Abu Lebdeh tells him Israel is “Palestine’s country, not your country” and swears at him.
“When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death,” she said.
Veifer then begins to ask a hypothetical question about how they would react if an Israeli were in their hospital but Abu Lebdeh cuts in.
“I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them,” she said.
Nadir said there are many Israelis that have come to the hospital, claiming he has sent them “to Jahannam.”
The video, shared by Veifer, has caused outrage on social media.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told 2GB Sydney the pair have been removed from their posts and would no longer be working for New South Wales Health.
“We need to send a clear and unambiguous message that if you go to an emergency department, if you’re on a ward, you’ll be treated by people who have a highly trained or a background and care about you,” he said.
“And I understand that right now, members of the Jewish community, and even those who aren’t members of the Jewish community would be appalled at this latest revelation, we just can’t stand for it.”
Mr Minns said he had to be sure there was an “ironclad investigation” into the pair, which means for the time being, Nadir and Abu Lebdeh are still technically employees of New South Wales Health.
“I want to make sure that these individuals won’t be returning to the office but there’s a process that needs to be followed and that is taking place as soon as possible,” he said.