Two nurses at a Sydney hospital have been suspended after a TikTok video showed them threatening to kill Jewish patients and refusing to treat them.
The video, posted by Max Veifer, an Israeli user, features a conversation with the nurses in scrubs.
In the video, one nurse expressed anger at Veifer for being Israeli, stating, “Eventually you’re going to get killed and go to (hell).”
When asked why, the other nurse replied, “It’s Palestine’s country, not your country,” and used an obscenity. She declared she would not treat any Jewish patients and would instead kill them.
The male nurse made a threatening gesture, claiming he had sent many Israelis who visited the hospital to “Jahannam,” meaning hell in Arabic.
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park announced that the nurses have been “stood down immediately” while an investigation is underway. He emphasized that there would be no chance for them to work in New South Wales Health again.
The New South Wales police’s antisemitic task force is also looking into the video, with the individuals involved currently cooperating with detectives.
Max Veifer, who regularly posts videos mostly about the Middle East on TikTok, has 102,000 followers and his videos have been liked by 4.2 million users.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian federal police has offered “whatever assistance” to New South Wales state police.
“I have seen this antisemitic video. It’s driven by hate and it’s disgusting. The comments are vile, the footage is sickening and it is shameful,” Albanese said in parliament.
Australia has seen an escalating series of attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, sparking fear among Australia’s nearly 115,000 Jewish people.