Police in Australia have initiated an investigation into a video allegedly showing two nurses at a Sydney hospital boasting about killing and denying treatment to Israeli patients.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb condemned the incident on Thursday, calling it a “new low” amid a surge of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia.
“This is racial hatred on a level that I have not seen before,” Webb stated in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “I am shocked.”
The Israeli content creator who originally shared the footage online has agreed to provide an unedited version of the video, which will aid the investigation. This footage shows two hospital workers, a man and a woman, in scrubs.
The man says, “I am so upset that you are Israeli, eventually you are going to get killed,” while the woman responds, “I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them.” Later, the man uses an expletive and gestures with his hand across his neck, claiming he has sent many Israeli patients to Jahannam, the Arabic term for hell.
The context of the video remains unclear, and some parts of the footage have been edited and censored. The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified by Al Jazeera.
In an interview, Veifer, the Israeli influencer who shared the video, said he has previously used social media to expose anti-Semitic behavior, resulting in individuals losing their jobs.
Health authorities have since suspended the two nurses, identified in local media as Ahmad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh. Authorities have confirmed that, to date, no patients have been found to have been harmed due to treatment from the staff members.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the video as “disgusting, sickening, and shameful.”
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park emphasized that the nurses would never be allowed to work again in the state’s health service, calling the video “shocking” and “appalling.”
According to reports, Nadir has since apologized to Veifer and the Jewish community. His solicitor stated that Nadir had no prior criminal record and is trying to make amends for the situation.
Australia has been grappling with a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, including bomb plots and arson attacks on synagogues, especially following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.