A doctor working at Soroka Medical Center in the Negev city of Beersheva pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on Thursday.
Muhammad Azzam, 34, an Israeli originally from Nazareth and a resident of Beersheva who is a specialist at the hospital, was arrested a month ago and an indictment was filed on Aug. 8. The details of the case had been under a gag order until now.
“The hospital administration takes the allegations very seriously and is shocked by them. The case is being investigated and handled by the relevant legal authorities, and we are confident in their handling of the matter,” Soroka Medical Center said in a statement.
According to a Justice Ministry statement, Azzam began showing an interest in ISIS in 2014, reading “extreme content” associated with the group in the subsequent years.
Following the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, Azzam decided to officially join ISIS, swearing allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hajri al-Qurashi, the new caliph of the organization. Further to the indictment, he sent his friends footage of the Oct. 7 atrocities with a tone of mockery and joy.
Police said the content found on his cellphone included videos of executions, beheadings and mutilated bodies. There were also folders titled “Explosive Materials” and “Poison Preparation” with information on ricin poison and rotten meat.
Azzam has been detained until all of the legal proceedings finish as the prosecution has requested, because his behavior indicates he is a danger to the public, particularly his role as a doctor in a hospital.
