A doctor at Soroka Medical Center who pledged allegiance to ISIS was arrested by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet in a joint operation, and an indictment has been filed against him, Israel Police reported Thursday morning.
The Shin Bet arrested the Israeli citizen for questioning in July on suspicion of engaging in activities inspired by ISIS.
The Beersheba resident, Muhammad Azzam, 34, originally from Nazareth, works as a doctor at Soroka Medical Center.
“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, Maariv reported.
Azzam joined ISIS as a member and pledged allegiance to the organization, the investigation by the Shin Bet and the Negev region central unit in the Southern District revealed.
The investigation also revealed that he had been reading ISIS-affiliated extreme online content since 2014, according to a Justice Ministry statement.
The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against him on August 8, 2024, following the investigation.
The indictment noted his mockery and celebration of October 7 atrocities
According to the indictment filed by Attorney Hofit Kantorovich, numerous media files were found on the doctor’s phone, including executions, beheadings, and mutilated bodies, as well as folders titled “Explosive Materials” and “Poison Preparation” with files such as “Ricin,” “Rotten Meat Poison,” and more.
Following October 7, Azzam decided to join ISIS officially and pledged allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hajri al-Qurashi, the new caliph of the organization.
Furthermore, following October 7, Azzam sent his friends footage of October 7 atrocities with a tone of mockery and joy, according to the indictment.
Azzam has been detained until all legal proceedings are finished, per the prosecution’s request. The detention request noted that his behavior indicates that he is a danger to the public, especially in his role as a doctor in a hospital.
On December 11, when wounded IDF soldiers arrived at Soroka Medical Center, in messages exchanged on WhatsApp, the defendant’s friend wrote, “May Allah extinguish his light,” after Azzam told him of a specific case.
Azzam responded, “Haha, Amen.”
In April, police and Shin Bet thwarted terrorist attacks planned by two supporters of ISIS in east Jerusalem, and four residents of Tarqumiyah in the West Bank were arrested for plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack.
Another two east Jerusalemites were arrested for plotting a terror attack in the name of ISIS in January.
There have been several other cases over the years, and several others responsible for terror attacks in Israel later joined ISIS.
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