NSW Nurse Charged Over Social Media Remarks on Treating Israeli Patients

In New South Wales, a nurse named Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, has been arrested and charged with several federal offences following a social media video in which she allegedly proclaimed her intent to deny treatment and even kill Israeli patients. The charges include threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace and harass. The police statement highlighted that the potential maximum penalty for these offences could be as severe as 22 years in prison. Ms Lebdeh was taken into custody on Tuesday night at a hospital in Sydney’s southwest where she was employed.

The controversial video emerged from a recording on a chat platform, featuring both Ms Lebdeh and her colleague Ahmed Rashid Nadir engaging with a Jewish content creator. In the footage, seemingly shot within a hospital setting, both nurses allegedly boasted about deliberately withholding treatment from Israeli patients, discussing actions that included supposedly condemning them to hell. Following the video’s publication, both nurses were immediately suspended while an investigation is being carried out. Although Mr Nadir is currently undergoing medical treatment and has not yet been charged, he remains under active investigation by NSW Police.

Police and officials, including NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and health minister Ryan Park, have stressed that there is no evidence indicating any harm was done to patients, and the case has become increasingly complex due to the recording being made overseas. As part of her bail conditions, Ms Lebdeh, a resident of Condell Park, has been prohibited from leaving Australia and using social media. The unfolding investigation has attracted significant attention and condemnation from government officials, amid an environment where antisemitic and other hate incidents have risen in Australia, particularly following the recent escalation of conflict in the Gaza region.