An indictment has been filed against Muhammad Azzam, 34, a doctor at the Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, who swore allegiance to ISIS and consumed troubling content, the Israel Police and Shin Bet reported on Thursday. The Nazareth-born, Be'er Sheva-based doctor was arrested about a month ago by the Shin Bet due to a suspicion of connection to the Islamic State.
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Muhammad Azzam, 34, a doctor at Soroka Hospital who pledged allegiance to ISIS
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
"As part of the investigation carried out by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police's Southern District, it was discovered that the suspect swore allegiance to the Islamic State and joined the terror organization. He spent a long period of time consuming ISIS-affiliated content," the Shin Bet and the police said in a joint statement.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Southern District Attorney's Office filed an indictment against him on August 8. The Shin Bet and the police have said they view any involvement or affiliation of Israeli citizens with terrorist activity, including the Islamic State (ISIS) as severe, and will continue to work to thwart and bring those involved in these crimes to justice.
According to the indictment filed against him by the Southern Prosecutor's Office, Azzam has been interested in ISIS since 2014 until his arrest, Azzam frequently watched Islamic State content from around the world. The Shin Bet found many videos on his phone including executions, beheadings and mutilated bodies. He also had folders saved named "explosives books" and "preparing poisons" with files depicting method of attack such as "rotten meat poison" and more.
After the October 7 massacre, Azzam decided to join ISIS and pledged allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the leader of the Islamic State. During the surprise attack by Hamas, he sent his friends footage of the atrocities and joyfully commented on them.
"Look at our cousins hiding in the garbage," he wrote to his friends. "There was a drug party, they went in and picked them up lol." He sent them videos of an armed Hamas terrorist next to a kidnapped Israeli woman, Gazans lynching soldiers, soldiers' mutilated bodies, raids on the Gaza border communities, Gazans taking hostages and Palestinians taking over IDF tanks.
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Hamas kidnapped IDF soldiers on October 7
(Photo: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
Azzam was detained until the end of the legal proceedings due to his being designated as a threat to society due to his role as a doctor. According to his indictment, a report from December 11 said Azzam spoke with his friend on WhatsApp when wounded IDF soldiers arrived at the hospital. Azzam confirmed an Al-Jazeera report saying that 27 injured soldiers were evacuated to Soroka Hospital. Azzam then detailed the types of soldiers' injuries and when his friend wished "May Allah turn off his light," he replied "Haha Amen."
The Soroka Hospital spokesperson stated that "the hospital's management takes the allegations very seriously and is shocked. The case is being investigated and handled by the authorities and we trust the case is in good hands."