Tel Aviv hospital guards attacked, beaten by patient’s family

Three security guards at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital suffered light-to-moderate injuries Wednesday night after being attacked and beaten by the relatives of a disgruntled patient, hospital officials said.

The incident began around 3 a.m. when the patient, a 19-year-old female from Jaffa, complained to hospital staff at the emergency room about the quality of her treatment.

The young woman, who was escorted by her father, also attempted to grab a nurse’s cellphone, leading security guards to intervene.

The woman is believed to have then contacted other members of her family. A short time later, five relatives of the patient drove up to the entrance to the ER and confronted security guards. The men attacked and beat the guards, and then fled the scene.

The patient and her father were arrested following the attack, and were being investigated over their involvement. Police were searching for the five assailants.

Hospital director Prof. Ronni Gamzu called the incident “a very serious event with underworld characteristics, that shows the helplessness of the system when confronted with violent criminals.” Gamzu said he had demanded a permanent police presence at the ER.