Australian Nurses Who Threatened to Kill Israeli Patients Face Ban and Charges
Two former Sydney nurses, charged for threatening to kill Israeli patients in a viral video, have been banned from working with Australia’s NDIS for two years and face serious criminal charges. Their case, set for court in July 2025, highlights a broader crackdown on antisemitism amid rising incidents in Australia.
Two former nurses from Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Sydney, Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 27, have been banned for two years from working with Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) following their inflammatory threats against Israeli patients. The pair gained notoriety in February 2025 after a viral video captured them on Chatroulette, a random video chat platform, making vile remarks to Israeli influencer Max Veifer. “I literally sent them to Jahannam,” Nadir declared, using the Arabic term for hell, adding, “Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to Jahannam, God willing.” Abu Lebdeh echoed, “I’m so disappointed that you’re Israeli. In the end, you will die and go to hell,” claiming, “You have no idea how many Israeli dogs have come to this hospital. I’ve already sent a lot of them to hell. I will not treat Jewish patients, but I will kill them.”
The video, which sparked global outrage, led to their immediate suspension from nursing on February 13, 2025, by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, barring them from practicing nationwide. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission imposed the two-year ban on May 9, 2025, prohibiting them from providing any services to NDIS participants, even unpaid. NSW Police’s Strike Force Pearl, established to combat antisemitism, charged Abu Lebdeh with threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or offend. Nadir faces charges for using a carriage service to menace and possessing a prohibited drug. Both, free on strict bail conditions banning social media use and international travel, are due in court on July 29, 2025, without entering pleas. Nadir’s lawyer, Zemarai Khatiz, plans to challenge the video’s admissibility, stating, “The video was recorded without his knowledge. We will apply to have it excluded.”
The incident reflects Australia’s surging antisemitism, with over 2,000 incidents reported from October 2023 to September 2024, per the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, including 65 physical assaults. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park condemned the remarks as “vile” and “disgusting,” assuring equal treatment in hospitals. Strike Force Pearl has arrested 15 individuals and laid 78 charges since December 2024, doubling its detective squad to 40.