After Wednesday’s viral circulation of a video of two Australian nurses claiming to have killed Israeli patients and threatening to kill more, the Sydney area medical practitioners have been suspended, and the New South Wales Police Force is investigating the incident.
The NSW police antisemitism task force has taken over the investigation, interviewing staff, seizing CCTV footage, and have identified the likely location within the Bankstown Hospital where a male nurse told Israeli English teacher and social media influencer Max Veifer, “You have no idea how many Israeli s**t dogs have come to this hospital, and I sent them to hell.”
“I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them,” said a female nurse in a hijab, according to a post of a random video chat interaction published by Veifer to his social media account. The video had been temporarily suspended on Instagram.
The female nurse expressed her hope that he would remember her face when he died the “most disgusting death,” trailing off into expletives.
Antisemitism contiues to rise in Australia
“It’s Palestine’s country, not your country, you piece of shit,” said the nurse.
“You have beautiful eyes, but I’m upset that you’re Israeli; eventually, when you’re killed, you’re going to go to hell,” the male nurse, claiming to be a doctor, said at the outset of the conversation.
There needs to be an investigation immediately into these two Australian medical professionals who are saying they will kill Israeli patients – and suggesting that they already have. They are expressing criminal intent towards Jewish people, this must be stopped. Antisemitism is… pic.twitter.com/YCX3w9YVcY
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) February 11, 2025
As Australian and Israeli officials, and Jewish citizens expressed outrage, NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb assured that Strike Force Pearl was investigating the matter.
According to Reuters, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian Federal Police had offered “whatever assistance” to the state police.
“This is a sad day for our country, it is unthinkable that we are confronted with, and forced to, investigate such an appalling incident,” said Webb.
New South Wales state Health Minister Ryan Park said on Facebook that if “the investigation concludes that this behavior has occurred, these individuals will no longer be working for NSW Health.”
Albanese said on X that NSW authorities have stood down the suspects.
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce said that it had immediately contacted the police and launched its own investigation.
“Please be aware that our hospitals are safe. They are safe places, and we have already taken steps to review the safety of the hospital concerned in this matter, and we have identified nothing that indicates the hospital is unsafe,” said Pearce. “You should be confident that you’ll receive safe care in our hospitals from our dedicated and caring staff.”
Yet Australian Jewish Association (AJA) CEO Robert Gregory told The Jerusalem Post that they were aware of Jewish patients who have decided to hide their identity while visiting the hospital.
“Patients in hospitals are vulnerable and it is understandable that Jewish patients would have concerns. We are hopeful that Jewish and Israeli patients will be treated like everyone else at Australian medical facilities but nowhere in Australia is immune to the recent surge of antisemitism,” said Gregory.
AJA had concerns about how widespread such views might be. While in this situation the staff members were exposed, Gregory said that in other cases staff may have acted on such views.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said that the incident exposed a harsh reality about how much antisemitism had been normalized in Australian society.
“For more than a year, we have watched as violent rhetoric on our streets has turned into violent attacks, labeled domestic terrorism by law enforcement. That two nurses could openly discuss harming Israeli patients is a chilling reminder of how far this has gone,” said Leibler. “While we welcome the swift response from authorities and political leaders who have rightly called this antisemitism for what it is, we must also confront the deeper issue — this did not happen in a vacuum. This is the cost of tolerating hate and demonization of Israel in this country”.
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said on Facebook that it was sickening that the nurses felt comfortable making the comments while wearing state branded scrubs.
“The rhetoric captured in this video is deplorable and has no place in our healthcare system,” said the Board.
Macarthur MP Mike Freelander, himself a doctor, said that the incident had “shaken me to my very core as a Jewish Australian.”
“The fact that they come from the area health service that I work in, and live in our society, is disgusting,” Freelander said in an address to parliament.
Israeli officials also expressed anger and called for an immediate investigation into Likud MK Dan Illouz called “incitement to murder.”
Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal said that the doctors had betrayed their Hippocratic Oaths to “uphold a Nazi-fascist ideology” and promised that “As chairman of the Israel-Australia Friendship Association, I will be reaching out to my counterpart in Australia today to demand swift action on this matter.”
Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon also reached out to Australian officials, speaking to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns on Wednesday, who assured him that all necessary measures were being taken.
MK Gilad Kariv said in a statement that the trend of rising antisemitism in Australia was indicative that Jews were not safe in many places in the world.
“The State of Israel has a moral and historical obligation to the security of Jews living in the Diaspora,” said Kariv, promising to prioritize fighting against antisemitism if he assumes leadership of the Immigration and Diaspora Committee.
Knesset Member Sharren Haskel said that the incident occurred as antisemitism had surged in Australia at “an alarming rate, increasing by hundreds of percent.”
“Several months ago, I issued a firm and unequivocal call to Australian authorities, government officials, and public representatives, urging them to take decisive action and assume responsibility for combating antisemitism, which has become a serious societal illness. Having lived in Sydney for nearly seven years, I am deeply saddened by what it has become,” said Haskel.
“A country once regarded as one of the safest, most tolerant, and open for Jews has now turned into a hotspot for antisemitism. The discovery of an explosive device intended for a major attack against Jews is proof that antisemitism is escalating dangerously and crossing all boundaries.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
