Fla. dentist seen crushing fliers of Israeli hostages fired

Oct 19, 2023

A dentist in Florida was fired after a video went viral of the clinician and a popular Instagram model tearing down posters in Miami of hostages, including Americans, who were taken by Hamas, according to news reports.

Dr. Ahmed Elkoussa was fired on October 18 from CG Smile, a dental practice in Miami where he worked, after a video was shared on social media by the organization Stop Antisemitism.

Elkoussa and Xave Ramoul, an Instagram model, were identified quickly from the video, which has garnered nearly 12,000 interactions and almost 1,300 comments just on Instagram, that was taken on October 17.

“CG Smile is not in favor of any of the actions taken by Dr. Elkoussa,” according to a statement posted on CG Smile’s Instagram page. “We do not support terrorist groups, actions or supporters. He has been removed from our staff, all of our social media pages and groups.”

CG Smile’s post has generated more than 5,000 interactions and more than 1,300 comments.

The fliers that the pair ripped down are part of a U.S. project by Israeli artists that show photos of people who were captured in Israel by Hamas nearly two weeks ago. The fliers had been posted on street light poles and trees throughout South Florida and have since been reposted. Elkoussa’s attorney, Hassan Shibly, told NBC6 on Wednesday that the dentist removed the posters, fearing they would spark conflict and that he talked to police before he took them down.

"He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now,” Shibly said. “I don't think there should be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli posters hanging around, they may spark conflict. So what should I do? They said, listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe."

Furthermore, Shibly said the dentist stands for peace and unity.

"He was well-intentioned with his actions, but he genuinely does apologize to those who misunderstood his intentions," Shibly told NBC.

Miami police are investigating whether Elkoussa's and Ramoul's actions were criminal, according to NBC. Elkoussa is not the only medical professional to be reprimanded for pro-Hamas actions or comments.

Dr. Dana Diab, an emergency room doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, was fired for posting a video of the October 7 Hamas assault on the Supernova Festival on her Instagram stories and commenting that Israelis were “getting a taste of their own medicine.”

Also, Dr. Abeer AbouYabis, a cancer doctor at Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, was placed on leave for a now-deleted Facebook post in which she wrote, “They got walls we got gliders glory to all resistance fighters,” according to screen grabs from StopAntisemitism.

Watch the video of Elkoussa below.