Rambam Health Care Campus on Sunday rejected allegations by the family of an IDF soldier seriously wounded in Lebanon, after his brother claimed hospital staff mistreated him during his hospitalization.
The allegations, published in an Instagram post, quickly drew political attention, with Defense Minister Israel Katz ordering the IDF to examine the claims and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for an immediate investigation.
(Photo: Rambam Health Care Campus)
The soldier remains in serious condition and is suffering from burns. He was successfully weaned off mechanical ventilation at Rambam and, following an improvement in his condition, was transferred to Sheba Medical Center.
Rambam has treated hundreds of wounded soldiers and civilians throughout the war, including critically injured patients whose lives were saved at the hospital by a diverse medical staff that includes both Jewish and Arab professionals.
In his post, the soldier’s brother wrote: “My brother was seriously wounded in Lebanon, and what happened afterward is incomprehensible.”
He said his brother had been hospitalized at Rambam three days earlier together with three other wounded soldiers. “He was sedated and ventilated and only woke up yesterday afternoon, suffering from burns all over his body, pain, fever and hallucinations,” the brother wrote.
“At night, a new shift arrived on the ward, all of them Arabic speakers. They removed all the families from the department and locked the doors. Four seriously wounded soldiers found themselves alone for an entire night, surrounded by Arabic-speaking staff behind locked doors. It is completely insane.”
The brother further alleged that family members repeatedly asked to enter the ward briefly to make sure the soldier was all right, but were refused. “I broke through the door and went in to see that my brother was OK. He wasn’t,” he wrote. “He was begging for water and no one was around. He whispered to me that they had turned him over in bed brutally, ‘like a sardine,’ his head was slammed against the bed and no one cared.”
He concluded: “I truly want to know, who is responsible for this failure?” The claims have not been independently substantiated.
Following the post, Katz said he had instructed the IDF to examine the allegations of inappropriate conduct by Rambam employees. “IDF soldiers deserve the most dedicated and best possible treatment, and respectful treatment for them and their families,” Katz said.
“If it turns out that any member of the staff treated the wounded soldiers in an inappropriate or serious manner, this will not be ignored. We will demand answers, draw conclusions and act to ensure that such a case does not happen again.”
Ben-Gvir also criticized the alleged conduct before an investigation had been completed. “If these severe testimonies are accurate, this is a grave scandal that should concern every citizen in Israel,” he said.
“It is inconceivable that hospital employees would harass, humiliate or abuse wounded soldiers or the families of fighters who risk their lives for the security of Israel’s citizens.”
Ben-Gvir said the claims required an “immediate, thorough investigation without whitewashing,” including an examination of whether, in some cases, there had been mistreatment motivated by nationalist hostility.
Rambam rejected the allegations after reviewing the incident. “We take every allegation with complete seriousness and conduct a thorough review of complaints of this kind,” the hospital said. “Following an examination of the incident, we reject the claims of inappropriate treatment of the patient.”
Rambam added that it provides “high-quality and professional care to all patients, and certainly to IDF soldiers, by a professional and skilled staff.” “In recent months, hundreds of wounded soldiers have been treated at the hospital, some of them in serious condition, and received the best possible care at Israel’s leading trauma center,” the hospital said.