LI Doctor 'Removed From Service' For Online Post About War In Israel

MINEOLA, NY — A Long Island-based physician has been "removed from service" following a social media post regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

Dr. Zaki Masoud is no longer a resident at NYU Langone Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, the hospital said in a statement.

The nonprofit group Stop Antisemitism spotted Masoud's Instagram post where he said: "It's time to be bold with your words. Don’t hesitate to openly state your support of Palestinian resistance. Be loud & proud you’re on the side of justice."

The hospital said another doctor, Benjamin Neel, was suspended from his role as director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, for reposting anti-Palestine content, the New York Post reported.

In Masoud's post last week he also said, "No more walking on eggshells, afraid of what people will think. Let them call it terrorism. Extremism. Barbarianism. We call it liberation. Decolonization. Resistance. Revolution."

Attempts by Patch to reach Masoud were not immediately successful.

A Change.org petition seeks Masoud's reinstatement as the "termination process initiated against Dr. Masoud is alarming and appears to be rooted in discriminatory practices," it stated. "Dr. Masoud must be treated justly, without prejudice or discrimination based on his ethnic background or personal beliefs."

The petition received nearly 80,000 online signatures through Friday afternoon.