Brother of wounded soldier alleges severe mistreatment at Rambam hospital after Lebanon attack

David Chesterman, brother of a soldier injured in Lebanon, has leveled serious accusations against Rambam Health Care Campus, alleging severe mistreatment of four wounded soldiers during their overnight stay. Chesterman detailed on Instagram that families were prevented from seeing their loved ones, and the soldiers experienced long waits for basic necessities like food and water.

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My brother was seriously wounded in Lebanon, and what happened afterward is simply inconceivable. Three days ago, he was hospitalized together with three other fellow soldiers. He was sedated and ventilated and only woke up yesterday afternoon, suffering from burns all over his body, pain, fever, and hallucinations.

His brother, who was sedated and ventilated following severe burns, pain, fever, and hallucinations, was reportedly left alone overnight with Arabic-speaking staff after families were asked to leave the ward. Chesterman described the situation as "completely insane" and claimed that repeated requests to check on his brother were denied. He stated he eventually entered the room to find his brother "begging for water, and no one was around."

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At night, a new shift arrived on the ward, all of them Arabic speakers. They removed all the families from the wards and locked the doors. Four seriously wounded soldiers find themselves alone for an entire night, surrounded by an Arabic-speaking staff behind locked doors. It's completely insane.

Chesterman further alleged that his brother was "slammed into bed" by nurses and that his head was hit against the bed without apparent care. He questioned who would be held responsible for such alleged actions. Rambam Health Care Campus responded by stating they take allegations of inappropriate treatment seriously but will not accept statements that cast aspersions on their staff based on community or ethnicity. The hospital emphasized its multicultural staff's dedication to treating wounded soldiers.

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We asked to go in for just a second, to see that he was okay. They refused us again and again. I broke through the door and went in to see that my brother was okay. He wasn't.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the Health Ministry to investigate whether nationalistic sentiments motivated the alleged actions of the Rambam nurses. He stated that if the testimonies are accurate, it represents a "grave scandal" and that hospital employees should not harass or abuse wounded soldiers and their families. Ben-Gvir demanded an immediate and thorough investigation without any "whitewashing."

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begging for water, and no one was around. He whispered to me that they had turned him over in the bed brutally, 'like a sardine,' his head was slammed into the bed, and no one cared