A nurse in Australia is due in court next month after stating she would refuse to treat Israeli patients if they came to her hospital, and that she would kill them, in an alleged antisemitic video.
The nurse, identified by media in Australia as 26-year-old Sarah Abu Lebdeh, was arrested on Tuesday, 25 February by police in New South Wales.
“Detectives must be commended for acting swiftly under enormous pressure and public expectation”
Karen Webb
Abu Lebdeh has now been charged with offences including threatening violence to a group of people and making threats to kill.
She, alongside a male nurse who appeared in the video, has been suspended from her job at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Sydney, and has also had her nursing registration suspended.
The charges, which carry heavy prison sentences, came after a police investigation into a viral social media video featuring Abu Lebdeh, uploaded by Israeli influencer Max Veifer.
The video is an interaction between Mr Veifer, Abu Lebdeh and the male nurse, who claimed to be a doctor, on online chat website Chatruletka.
Mr Veifer identified himself as a former member of the Israel Defense Forces, the country’s military. In response, the man told Mr Veifer: “Eventually you’re going to get killed and you’re gonna go to Jahannam [Arabic word for hell].”
Abu Lebdeh, who was previously off-camera, appeared on the video and said: “You killed innocent people… you kill innocent people to protect your country? What kind of soul do you have? You have no soul.”
Mr Veifer asked the two Australians what they would do if an Israeli came into their hospital.
Abu Lebdeh responded: “I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them.”
The male nurse then performed a throat-slitting motion, claiming he had already sent multiple Israelis “to Jahannam”.
Mr Veifer then asked what they would do if any Jewish person were to come to their hospital, and the video feed was cut.
The video of this exchange went viral and was met with public outrage in Australia.
Ryan Park, New South Wales health minister, described the two nurses in the video as “deranged individuals”, and the hospital began investigating its patient records due to the claims that patients had been killed.
According to The Guardian, the male nurse later said the incident was a “big mistake” and a joke gone wrong; he is under investigation by police.
Abu Lebdeh remains on conditional bail after her release from police custody and will appear in court on 19 March.
New South Wales Police commissioner Karen Webb said, following the announcement Abu Lebdeh’s charges: “Detectives must be commended for acting swiftly under enormous pressure and public expectation.
“These charges have been laid following a lot of hard work and legal advice… Detectives have overcome obstacles and jurisdictional challenges to get where we are today.”
The investigation into Abu Lebdeh came as part of Strike Force Pearl, which was set up by New South Wales Police in December 2024 in response to a series of antisemitic attacks in Sydney.
