Sydney Nurses’ Video Triggers Legal Response As Rising Tensions Uncovered

Two Sydney nurses face severe legal consequences after a viral video showed them allegedly threatening to kill Israeli patients, exposing a troubling rise in antisemitism across Australia.

Quick Takes

Sarah Abu Lebdeh has been charged with threatening to kill Israeli patients in a viral video, facing up to 22 years in prison if convicted.
Both Abu Lebdeh and her colleague Ahmed Rashid Nadir have been suspended from nursing nationwide after the video surfaced.
The hospital found no evidence that patients were actually harmed, but the intent of the comments will be determined by courts.
Australia’s Prime Minister condemned the video as “disgusting, sickening and shameful” amid rising antisemitic incidents across the country.

Nurses Suspended After Threatening Israelis

Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, two nurses from Sydney’s Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, have been suspended from practice after appearing in a video that went viral showing them allegedly threatening Israeli patients. Abu Lebdeh has been charged with multiple serious offenses including using a carriage service to threaten to kill and threatening violence. These charges carry a potential combined maximum sentence of 22 years imprisonment, reflecting the gravity with which Australian authorities are treating this incident of apparent antisemitism in healthcare.

The investigation began after Israeli influencer Max Veifer posted a video conversation with the two nurses. In the exchange, Abu Lebdeh allegedly made explicit threats, stating, “One day, your time will come and you will die the most horrible death.” Her colleague Nadir suggested he had sent Israeli patients to “Jahannam,” an Islamic concept similar to hell. Authorities have described the case as complex due to its international nature, with the recording made overseas while the nurses were located in Australia.

ABC torched by Jewish leader for branding NSW nurses' death threats to Israeli patients as 'disparaging comments'

By Laurence Karacsonyhttps://t.co/7OvBUHIsKd

The ABC has been accused of downplaying antisemitism after an online story described the vile threats made by two NSW…

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) February 19, 2025

Federal Charges and Legal Proceedings

Abu Lebdeh was arrested and has been granted bail under what NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb described as “very, very strict” conditions. The restrictions include a complete ban on social media usage and a prohibition on leaving Australia. She is scheduled to appear in court in Sydney on March 19 to face her charges. Meanwhile, Nadir has been hospitalized after authorities received a “concern for welfare” report and has not yet been formally interviewed by police or charged, though investigations are continuing.

Webb noted the complexity of the investigation, saying, “given the nature of this—where we had two people here in NSW and the recording made overseas—it’s been a complex investigation. We’re talking across borders.”

Hospital administrators conducted a review of patient records after the video emerged and found no evidence that either nurse had actually harmed patients in their care. Nadir has since described the incident as a “big mistake” and apologized, claiming it was intended as a joke that went wrong. Regardless of their claims, both nurses have had their professional registrations suspended, effectively barring them from working in healthcare anywhere in Australia.

Rising Antisemitism in Australia

This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing antisemitism in Australia since the escalation of the Hamas-Israel conflict in October 2023. The country has witnessed a disturbing rise in antisemitic attacks, including vandalism and arson targeting Jewish communities and synagogues. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned the nurses’ actions as “disgusting, sickening and shameful,” reflecting the government’s zero-tolerance approach to such behavior.

The case has prompted nationwide outrage and renewed calls for stronger measures against antisemitism. Australia has reported an alarming increase in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in recent months, with authorities expressing concern about community divisions along religious and ethnic lines. The swift and decisive action against the nurses sends a clear message that professionals in positions of trust will be held accountable for discriminatory behavior, particularly when it involves threats against vulnerable patients.