Key facts
- Israeli ministers Israel Katz and Itamar Ben Gvir have called for investigations into allegations of mistreatment of wounded soldiers by Arab medical staff.
- The allegations were made by relatives of a soldier treated at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
- Rambam hospital stated it rejects the claims that the patient was treated inappropriately.
- The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel condemned the ministers' actions as an "obsessive campaign of incitement" against Arab medical staff.
- The committee stated that no evidence has been produced to support claims of discrimination by Arab medical teams.
Palestinian citizens of Israel are facing what their representative body calls an "obsessive campaign of incitement" by Israeli ministers following unproven allegations of mistreatment of wounded soldiers by Arab medical staff. Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have called for thorough investigations into claims made by relatives of a soldier treated at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.
Yehoshua Shani, the soldier's relative, posted on X that nurses ignored his requests for water and turned him over in bed roughly. The soldier's brother, David Chesterman, made similar claims on Instagram, stating his brother was "brutally turned over in bed" and his head was slammed against the bed.
Minister Katz stated he views the testimonies with "great seriousness" and has instructed the army to examine the allegations. Minister Ben Gvir called the claims a "grave scandal" demanding an "immediate, thorough, and un-whitewashed investigation," including examining if it constitutes harassment on a nationalist basis.
Rambam hospital reviewed the incident and "rejects the claims that the patient was treated inappropriately." However, some Palestinian doctors criticized the hospital's response as insufficient and insulting, arguing it failed to adequately back Arab medical staff. Hospital director Dr Michal Makel later sent an internal message of support, stating that attempts to create divisions based on language, background, or identity are unacceptable.
The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel condemned the ministers for using the allegations to incite against Arab doctors, stating that "fascists launch campaigns spreading lies and baseless accusations for no reason other than that those targeted are Arabs." The committee asserted that no evidence has been produced to support claims of discrimination by Arab medical teams and that such "racist campaigns of incitement" against Arab medical staff have been ongoing in Israel due to dissatisfaction with their high proportion in the health sector.