Surgeons will refuse to conduct non-critical procedures on Sunday in protest of an attack on their colleague, Dr. Marius Gai. Gai, who works in Kaplan medical center in Rehovot, was seriously wounded on Wednesday when he was attacked and stabbed repeatedly by a mentally ill patient who was upset that his surgery had been postponed.
Doctors and social services officials condemned the attack and said it was further evidence of a worrying increase in attacks on public workers. Advisor to the Prime Minister Vered Swaid said Thursday that officials should give harsher punishments to violent attackers, particularly those who attack public workers such as doctors and teachers.