A military court has sentenced an IDF reservist to 30 months in prison for posing as a doctor for years, during which he served as the physician of a maneuvering company in the Gaza Strip and treated combat troops during the fighting, i24NEWS correspondent Avishai Grinzaig reported.
The reservist never completed medical school and was never licensed to practice medicine. Despite this, he presented himself as a licensed physician, integrated into the military medical system and served for months as a company doctor in Gaza. According to the verdict, he performed surgical procedures that may not be carried out in the field even by a licensed doctor.
In one case, a soldier who broke his nose during service asked to be evacuated to a hospital. Instead, the reservist reset the nose with his bare hands, without anesthesia, X-rays or a cast, and sent the soldier back into combat. The soldier’s condition later worsened, and he required reconstructive surgery.
The court found that the reservist also blocked soldiers’ requests to leave combat zones to receive proper medical care, endangering their health and their lives. It noted that for long periods he served as the sole medical provider during combat operations, with no alternative medical personnel available. The judges wrote that the potential harm from his actions was extremely serious, and that he had betrayed the trust of the military system and, even more gravely, the trust of the soldiers he treated.
The impersonation did not begin with the current war. According to reports published in June 2024, the reservist had served in a military medical role for years, including during Operation Protective Edge and in military exercises. According to the indictment, after the October 7 attack he reported for reserve duty on his own without receiving an emergency call-up order.
Suspicions arose after soldiers and IDF medical personnel began to question his training and demanded documents proving his medical studies and license. When he failed to provide them, he was removed from Gaza and from his position, and the Military Police opened an investigation.
The case has raised questions about how a man without a medical license was able to serve in a medical role for years, and how he came to treat combat troops in the field without his credentials being verified.
