‘Kill them’: Workers in NSW Health uniforms claim they won’t treat Israelis in ‘sickening’ video

A nurse filmed on an anti-Semitic tirade is reportedly “sorry” for her remarks and has been experiencing an extreme panic attack in the wake of the controversy.

A Sydney nurse who bragged about sending Israeli patients to hell in a “sickening” clip leaked online is an Afghani refugee who recently became an Australian citizen.

Ahmad “Rashad” Nadir and his female colleague, who has been identified as Sarah Abu Lebdeh, from Bankstown Hospital, were both stood down after they made the “vile” comments during a stream with a Jewish influencer in Israel.

Mr Nadir previously fled from Afghanistan to Australia with his family as a teenager and worked one day a week at Observatory Tower Medical Centre in Sydney’s CBD and Bankstown Hospital.

According to social media, he became an Australian citizen four years ago.

According to the medical centre’s website, Mr Nadir “comes from a background in hospital and emergency nursing and assists our doctors with a broad range of clinical duties”.

The clinic has since scrubbed his name from its website.

Police confirmed detectives had interviewed hospital staff and identified where the video was believed to have been filmed.

CCTV footage from the hospital has also been seized by authorities.

Rashad Nadir has been identified as one of two nurses filmed in a sickening anti-Semitic clip. Picture: Supplied

Nurses are ‘sorry’ for remarks

Ms Lebdeh is reportedly “sorry” for her remarks and has been experiencing an extreme panic attack in the wake of the controversy, a man identifying himself as her uncle told The Australian on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m trying to calm her down to see what the f**k happened,” he said outside her home. “She’s been a nurse for God knows how long. She’s never done anything to hurt anyone.”

The apology came after family members confronted Australian journalist Liam Mendes in heated scenes.

Ms Lebdeh is believed to have graduated with a Diploma of Nursing five years ago, and has been working at NSW Health since February 2021.

Her uncle insisted that she posed no threat to Israeli patients.

“No, she would never be a threat,” he said, claiming she will “come out and make a statement” in time.

“You can’t talk to her now because she’s having a panic attack, an anxiety attack. We might be calling the ambulance for her.”

Meanwhile, Mr Nadir’s lawyer says he had given a “sincere apology” to Veifer and the wider Jewish community.

“He understands what has happened. He is trying to make amends with what has happened. He has never appeared before the court in relation to any criminal matters. He is a person of prior good character,” Sakr said.

“He’s apologised for the action, he’s apologised for his words, whether he had the mental capacity at the time of an alleged offence, to commit an offence, that is a matter for the courts.”

‘We find that behaviour reprehensible’

Dr Nirmal Grewal the director and one of the GPs at Observatory Tower Medical Centre said Mr Nadir had been working at the clinic on Tuesdays since April last year, but would often call in sick for his weekly shift.

“Sometimes he wouldn’t come into work because he called in sick a lot,” Dr Grewal told news.com.au, confirming Mr Nadir has been stood down at the private clinic as well.

“There were no complaints from patients or the doctor,” he added, before condemning Nadir’s behaviour.

“Our clinic has been around for 25 years and we find that behaviour reprehensible and we are far from anti-Semitic. We have a multidisciplinary team that comes from various backgrounds and we will not tolerate this behaviour.”

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Nadir told The Daily Telegraph he planned to publicly apologise to the “Jewish community and anyone I’ve offended”, adding he needed to speak to authorities.
“It was a joke, a misunderstanding … I will use social media, anything, to apologise but I need to go and see the detectives first,” he said.

Nadir shared a post on Facebook in 2020 celebrating officially becoming an Australian citizen.

“Congrats to me,” he wrote at the time.
“Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi.”

Before becoming a nurse, Nadir participated in the Chester Hill Helmsman Project, a not-for-profit organisation that runs coaching programs for young people to build life skills.

“Before the Helmsman Project I didn’t have great communication skills and now I know how best to talk to people and how to be a leader,” he told the Canterbury-Bankstown Express in 2014.

Rashad Nadir is an Afghani refugee who recently became an Australian citizen. Picture: Facebook

‘Die the most disgusting death’

During the lifestreamed conversation, Mr Nadir tells the influencer: “I’m gonna be really honest with you … you actually got really, really beautiful eyes, but I’m so upset that you’re Israeli, like eventually you’re going to get killed.”

“Why do you think I’m going to get killed?” the influencer asks, before the female nurse interjects.

“It’s Palestine’s country, not your country you piece of s***,” she says.

“One day your time will come and you will die the most,” she continues before the video cuts out.

“Listen to me when your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death.”

Wanting to ask a question, the influencer begins to say: “Let’s say an Israeli, God forbid …”

“I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them,” she interrupted. “Not God forbid, I hope to God.”

“You have no idea how many Israeli … dog came to this hospital and … ,” Mr Nadir added, gesturing a knife through his neck.

“I literally sent them to Jahannam.”

Jahannam is the Arabic word for “hell”.

It’s understood the clip, which showed two workers from Bankstown Hospital wearing NSW Health uniforms.

NSW police and NSW Health are investigating the incident.

NSW police said Strike Force Pearl, which investigates anti-Semitic attacks, has taken carriage of the investigation.

“NSW Health, believe they have identified the individuals involved and are currently assisting detectives with their investigation,” a NSW police spokesperson said in a statement.

“A thorough investigation is underway.”

Police officers were seen leaving Bankstown Hospital on Wednesday.

Police officers were seen leaving Bankstown Hospital on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

The Australian Federal Police said it has also offered its support to the investigation.

“The AFP, under Special Operation Avalite, is engaging with New South Wales Police,” an AFP spokesperson told news.com.au.

No charges have been laid.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park condemned the “appalling” video.

“The comments are vile, dehumanising and unacceptable,” he said.

“They made me sick to my stomach.”

“If the investigation concludes that this behaviour has occurred, these individuals will no longer be working for NSW Health,” Mr Park continued.

“These comments do not reflect the values of NSW Health or the broader NSW community.”

“We cannot afford to have people like that in a health system. Everyone is entitled to access NSW health and hospital services without featuring for their life and without having that sort of hate-filled attitude come through some of our health care workers,” he added during an interview on 2GB.

The workers were speaking to a popular Jewish influencer in Israel.

‘Disgusting’: PM responds

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labelled the footage “sickening and shameful”.

“The antisemitic video circulating today is disgusting. The comments are vile,” he said in a statement on X.

“These antisemitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia.

“These individuals have been stood down by NSW Authorities. They have rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation.”

The two nurses from Bankstown Hospital have been stood down. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Mr Albanese concluded by stating those who have committed criminal antisemitic acts will “face the full force of our laws”.

In a joint statement, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler and Federal Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said the government “utterly condemns the appalling video”.

“This video is as chilling as it is vile. The comments made in this video are sickening and totally unacceptable,” they said.

Mr Butler and Mr Burke said they welcomed the news the individuals involved have been stood down.

“Health workers have a solemn duty to treat and heal everyone who comes before them needing help. The vast majority hold to that oath,” they said.

“The idea that you would single out a particular group in our community and indicate you wouldn’t care for them runs against every single principle in our health care system.”

‘Act of bastardry’

Addressing reporters on Wednesday morning, Mr Park said those people, subject to an investigation, will “not ever be working for NSW Health ever again”.

“There is no place for this sort of perspective in our society.”

Mr Park apologised to the Jewish community.

“I can assure you this, the care that you get in our hospitals will continue to be first-class. We will investigate this uphill and down dale. We will not be looking at this incident per say but we will also be … going through previous cases to make sure that hospital has been working in a way that reflects those values around safety and care.”

Mr Park addressed media on Wednesday morning. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Addressing healthcare employees, he said: “This act of bastardry, this act of vile disgusting behaviour, from two individuals, will in no way diminish the value the secretary, myself as the minister, but more importantly our state, values the work that you do each and every day.”

NSW Shadow Minister for Health Kellie Sloane has called for an urgent examination of patients’ records at Bankstown Hospital

“The records of all patients treated by the Bankstown Hospital staff must be urgently reviewed and examined for any adverse or unexplained outcomes,” Ms Sloane wrote in a statement on X.

“Additionally there should be a review of the broader workplace culture.”

Mr Park slammed the “act of bastardry”. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

‘Tip of the iceberg’

The co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin said the video was “utterly sickening to watch”.

“Their unrepentant, gleeful hatred is the precursor to the violence we are experiencing in our country and it must be stamped out,” he said on X.

“No doubt we will see the defence that Jews have brought this hatred upon themselves through Israel’s war in Gaza.

“That these people are merely traumatised from the images of the war. They have it backwards. It is this hatred and dehumanisation of Jews that causes wars and the carnage of October 7 and if left unchecked it will further degrade our society. Time for consequences.”

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Ryvchin warned the incident was just “the tip of the iceberg”.

“This is a warning sign once again to all Australians about the evil that exists in our midst, the need to understand this ideology and to confront it, and the harm that it does to all Australians,” he said.

Mr Ryvchin said for months he’s heard from medical practitioners who have been warning about extreme content posted by other nurses and doctors online.

“This is clearly the first time it has gone to such a public, brazen level. But I think we’d be kidding ourselves if we thought they were isolated individuals. I think that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin said the video was “utterly sickening to watch”. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Medical community responds

Dr Michael Krasovitsky, who is Jewish and works as a medical oncologist at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney said it was “terrifying” to hear the comments made by fellow healthcare workers.

“I love my job, and I feel very connected to working within NSW Health. To hear that two hopefully rogue colleagues of mine so deeply hate Israeli and Jewish people is simply terrifying,” Dr Krasovitsky said.

“No matter our ethnicity, political beliefs, sexuality, gender or other defining characteristics, we all deserve respect, and all deserve compassionate and best-practice health care.

“I will hold my head up high when I next provide the best care I can to someone whose beliefs don’t align with my own”.

The Australian Medical Association (NSW) has condemned the “anti-Semitic commentary” within the health system.

“On behalf of NSW doctors, we want to make it very clear that doctors, nurses and other health practitioners are committed to providing the best possible care to every patient in NSW,” it said in a statement.

“The Declaration of Geneva states doctors will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between their duty and their patient.

There is no place for hatred or division in the health system and this behaviour will not be tolerated. Our hospitals must remain safe havens for all patients.”

The Australian Islamic Medical Association said it was “deeply concerned” about the footage.

“Such behaviour undermines the ethical principles of the medical profession and the trust patients place in healthcare providers,” a statement from the association said.

“We urge the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and accountability in healthcare.”

Originally published as ‘Kill them’: Workers in NSW Health uniforms claim they won’t treat Israelis in ‘sickening’ video