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

ByBATYA GILADIAUGUST 9, 2026 11:22Updated: AUGUST 9, 2026 11:29David Chesterman, the brother of one of four soldiers wounded in Lebanon last week, alleged that they were severely mistreated by Rambam Health Care Campus's staff during their overnight stay. In a post on Instagram on Saturday, Chesterman alleged that the four soldiers' families were not allowed to see their wounded loved ones, and that the soldiers were waiting for ages to receive food and water. "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," he wrote.According to Chesterman, the shift on the ward changed during the night, and the families were asked to leave."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 claimed that family members tried to enter the ward to check on his brother's condition, but their requests were denied."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."Brother of wounded soldier says he was "slammed into bed" by Rambam nursesUpon entering the room, Chesterman stated he found his brother “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," he said, and demanded to know who would take responsibilityRambam addressed the issue by stating they take allegations of inappropriate treatment seriously, but would “not accept statements that disqualify or cast aspersions on the medical center's staff on the basis of their community or ethnicity.""Rambam has a multicultural staff comprising employees from all sectors, communities, and religions, who have devotedly treated the many wounded soldiers who have arrived at the medical center throughout the war,” the hospital stated.In response, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the Health Ministry to investigate whether the Rambam nurses were motivated by nationalistic sentiments."If the serious testimonies emerging from Rambam Hospital are accurate, this is a grave scandal that should concern every citizen in Israel. It is unthinkable that hospital employees would harass, humiliate, or abuse wounded soldiers and the families of soldiers who risk their lives for the security of Israel's citizens," Ben-Gvir wrote in a statement."These testimonies require an immediate, thorough investigation without any whitewashing, including an examination of whether, in some cases, the harassment was nationalistically motivated. Anyone who harms our soldiers and their families should know that there will be consequences," he added."I expect Rambam's management and the Health Ministry to investigate the matter thoroughly and take severe action if the allegations are found to be true."Follow us on Google