Belgian Hospital Suspends Doctor for Antisemitic Social Media Posts After “Jewish (Israeli)” Patient Labeling Scandal

By: Fern Sidman

A Belgian hospital has suspended one of its radiologists, Dr. Qasim Arkawazy, after investigators uncovered a stream of antisemitic material on his social media accounts. The decision came only days after the institution had initially defended the physician for controversially labeling a nine-year-old girl’s medical file with the words “Jewish (Israeli)” as though her heritage constituted a clinical problem.

 

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The case, as reported by The Algemeiner on Wednesday, has shaken Belgium’s Jewish community and amplified broader concerns about rising antisemitism within European health-care settings. It also underscores the ways in which anti-Israel animus, emboldened in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 atrocities, has seeped into professional spaces once presumed to be governed by impartiality, ethics, and trust.

The incident first came to light last week when Israel Hayom revealed that Arkawazy, a radiologist at AZ Zeno Campus Knokke-Heist in the seaside town of Knokke, Belgium, listed “Jewish (Israeli)” under the “current problems” section of a nine-year-old girl’s medical report. The child had been admitted after falling from a climbing frame and injuring her forearm. Instead of limiting the record to her injuries and relevant health history, the physician inexplicably inserted her Jewish identity as though it were a diagnosis.

The Jewish Information and Documentation Center (JID), a Belgian NGO monitoring antisemitism, immediately filed formal complaints with both law enforcement authorities and the medical establishment. “This kind of labeling is dehumanizing,” the group said in a statement quoted in The Algemeiner report. “It reinforces the idea that Jewishness is itself a pathological condition and revives echoes of Nazi-era practices.”

The hospital’s first reaction only inflamed tensions. AZ Zeno initially suggested Arkawazy’s notation might have been for “medical reasons” but conceded it “could be seen as offensive.” Hospital officials announced that the child’s digital file had been updated, but stopped short of issuing disciplinary measures.

The backlash was immediate. Belgian Jewish leaders called the explanation insulting, while JID pressed for a full investigation. Under mounting pressure, the hospital reversed course, acknowledging that Arkawazy’s conduct violated both ethical and professional standards.

When investigators began combing through his public online activity, they discovered a trove of antisemitic material.

According to reports cited by The Algemeiner, Arkawazy — a Shi’ite Muslim originally from Baghdad — had repeatedly shared virulently antisemitic content on Facebook in the months following Hamas’s October 7 massacre across southern Israel. Among the disturbing images were:

A cartoon depicting babies decapitated by the point of a Star of David.

An AI-generated illustration portraying Hasidic Jews as vampires preparing to devour a sleeping infant.

Dozens of other posts steeped in Islamist propaganda and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories.

The revelations were first amplified online by SwordOfSalomon, an open-source researcher who has tracked antisemitic activity on European social media platforms.

Faced with this evidence, AZ Zeno issued a new statement: “The doctor involved was suspended with immediate effect so that the investigation can proceed calmly and thoroughly.” Both internal and external inquiries are now underway.

Arkawazy’s case has drawn international attention not only for its egregiousness but because it reflects a troubling pattern surfacing in Western medical institutions. Jewish patients and doctors alike increasingly express fear that ideological hostility toward Israel may affect clinical treatment and workplace safety.

As The Algemeiner report documented, similar controversies have erupted in recent months:

Three Dutch hospitals canceled lectures by Israeli physician Dr. Amit Frenkel, head of intensive care at Soroka Medical Center. Frenkel had been scheduled to share expertise on treating victims of mass-casualty terrorist attacks. Administrators cited “serious concerns” over safety, fearing anti-Israel activists might resort to violence if the lectures went forward.

In Italy, two medical workers filmed themselves discarding medicine manufactured by Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva in a performative protest against Israel. The video circulated widely online, raising questions about patient safety and professional integrity.

A British doctor allowed to return to work last month had previously praised Adolf Hitler during an antisemitic tirade and made racist remarks about a colleague. Separately, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust was forced to apologize after anti-Israel posters — reading “Zionism is Poison” and “Free Palestine” — were displayed on hospital property, leaving Jewish patients afraid they would receive substandard care.

Fatimah Mohamied, a midwife in the United Kingdom who celebrated Hamas’s October 7 atrocities in social media posts, resigned after her comments were exposed. She has since filed a lawsuit against her former hospital employer, claiming her rights were violated.

In the Netherlands, police opened an investigation into nurse Batisma Chayat Sa’id, accused of threatening to administer lethal injections to Israeli patients.

In Australia, two nurses, Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, were filmed posing as doctors and declaring their intent to kill Israeli patients. One was seen making a throat-slitting gesture. Australian authorities revoked their licenses and filed federal charges that could lead to 22-year prison sentences.

The implications of such incidents are grave. Health-care systems rely fundamentally on trust — that doctors and nurses will provide treatment impartially, regardless of a patient’s identity. For Jewish patients, each revelation of antisemitic sentiment among medical staff erodes confidence in that principle.

As The Algemeiner noted in earlier coverage of similar scandals, “When a Jewish patient sees a doctor who has publicly mocked their people or celebrated terrorism against Israel, how can they trust that doctor to act in their best interest when life or death decisions are required?”

This erosion of trust is particularly acute in Belgium, home to one of Europe’s most visible Jewish communities but also a country where antisemitism has been on the rise. Arkawazy’s suspension, while welcomed by Jewish advocates, has not erased the sting of the initial defense offered by his hospital.

The Jewish Information and Documentation Center is pressing Belgian authorities to ensure that Arkawazy faces full accountability, both legally and professionally. Under Belgian law, doctors who violate medical ethics or engage in discriminatory practices can face suspension or permanent revocation of their licenses.

In addition, JID and other Jewish organizations are calling for systemic changes. They argue that medical institutions must implement stronger vetting procedures for staff, mandatory antisemitism awareness training, and swift disciplinary protocols when cases arise.

“Suspension is a first step,” a JID spokesperson told The Algemeiner. “But the message must be clear: Antisemitism in medicine is intolerable. No Jewish patient should fear that their care might be compromised because of who they are.”

The Belgian scandal has resonated well beyond the country’s borders. In recent months, U.S. lawmakers have also launched investigations into antisemitism in professional associations, including teachers’ unions and universities. Advocates warn that professional spaces across the West — from classrooms to hospitals — are increasingly becoming arenas where hostility toward Jews and Israel manifests in ways that directly harm individuals’ safety and dignity.

UN officials, too, have raised alarms. As The Algemeiner reported earlier this year, UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani described the surge in antisemitic incidents worldwide as a “global emergency that undermines the foundations of democracy and equality.”

The suspension of Dr. Qasim Arkawazy represents a critical moment for Belgium’s medical system — and, more broadly, for Western democracies grappling with the rise of antisemitism in professional institutions.

While Jewish groups welcomed the hospital’s eventual decision, the fact that Arkawazy was initially defended raises troubling questions about institutional reflexes when confronted with antisemitic behavior. Combined with similar scandals in the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, and Australia, the case underscores what The Algemeiner has consistently described as a dangerous trend: the normalization of anti-Jewish animus in spaces where neutrality and ethics should reign supreme.

For Belgium’s Jewish community — and for Jewish patients worldwide — the stakes are not abstract. As antisemitism infiltrates medicine, the question is stark: Can Jewish patients still trust that the professionals tasked with saving their lives will treat them with equal care?