South FL Dentist Fired For Tearing Down Fliers Of Israeli Hostages

MIAMI, FL — A Coral Gables dentist was fired after a video surfaced showing him tearing down fliers of Israelis who were kidnapped and murdered during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the country, according to multiple reports.

In the cellphone video, Ahmed Elkoussa and Instagram influencer Xave Ramoul are seen walking through Miami’s Brickell neighborhood near South Miami Avenue and Eighth Street Tuesday night with crumpled papers in their hands, CBS News reported.

The fliers, posted to trees and utility poles across South Florida, are part of a nationwide project by Israeli artists.

"I watched them take it down and I recognized one of the men, and that’s when I freaked out and realizedI needed to do something," Blake Warman, who recorded the video, told NBC 6.

By Wednesday morning, after the video went viral, his employer, CG Smile, had fired him.
“We are very sad to see this situation upon waking up. Our office CG Smile is not in favor of any of the actions taken by Dr. Elkoussa,” the company wrote in an Instagram post. “We do not support terrorist groups, actions or supporters. He has been removed from our staff, all of our social media pages and groups.”

The practice’s owner, Juan Carlos Izquierdo, DMD, told Local 10 News that ElKoussa was fired “right away.”

“He tried to come into the office. I said ‘stay back,’” Izquierdo said.

Now, the dentist is asking for his job back. His attorney, Hassan Shibly, told NBC 6 that Elkoussa didn’t mean to offend anyone and was worried the fliers might inspire copycat attacks in the neighborhood.

"He wanted to ensure that there’s no conflict here in Florida. And when he saw those posters, he was just concerned that they may lead to an escalation in conflict," the lawyer said. "He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, 'listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now. 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.'"