Israeli doctors confront a ‘heated question’ after Hamas attack: Would you treat a terrorist?
Days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, Israel's doctors and nurses are embroiled in a heated debate: Would they — and should they — "treat terrorists?"
TEL AVIV — Facing an unprecedented crisis after the stunning Hamas attack, Israel's doctors and nurses are now also embroiled in a "heated" debate: Would they — and should they — "treat terrorists?"
After reports spread that injured Hamas militants had been admitted to public hospitals to be treated alongside injured Israeli civilians, video emerged of dozens of angry people gathering at the entrance of one hospital in the country's south. The incident, based on unverified rumors, spread widely across social media in a reflection of a broader national discussion.
At a hospital in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, there were mixed feelings among patients and medical workers who spoke to NBC News on Thursday — the sixth day of war between the country and Hamas.
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"Among staff, it's a very heated subject," said Dr. Jacob Ablin, head of internal medicine at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. "For some people, emotions are going, running very high and a lot of people would feel very angry and not want to treat terrorists," he added.
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