Israel's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that the license of Dr. Aryeh Levin, a specialist in pediatric gastroenterology, who is accused of a series of serious sexual offenses allegedly committed in his professional capacity, will be suspended for six months. This is the maximum period permitted under Section 44A of the Physicians Ordinance before a criminal conviction has been reached.
Levin was practicing as a pediatric gastroenterologist.
The decision to suspend the license was made by Dr. Safi Mandelovich, Deputy Director-General of the Health Ministry, following recommendations from the Ministry’s special disciplinary committee. According to the Health Ministry, this is a temporary step that will be reviewed again at the end of the suspension period, depending on developments in the case.
Dr. Levin, 64, served until recently as a senior pediatric gastroenterologist at one of Israel’s leading hospitals. He faces an extensive indictment detailing a series of sexual offenses allegedly committed under the guise of medical care, exploiting the trust and dependence of his patients and their families. The charges include rape using force, rape of a minor under 16, indecent acts, and sexual harassment — some involving minors and others involving adult patients under his medical care.
According to the charges, one of the most severe incidents occurred when Dr. Levin allegedly raped the mother of a hospitalized child, who had come to the clinic to collect medical documents. In other cases, he allegedly called minors in for medical examinations and committed indecent acts under the pretense of routine checkups. In one complaint, a 12-year-old girl described being raped during what was supposed to be a medical treatment.
The investigation began in July 2021 after a woman filed a complaint alleging that, as a child over a decade earlier, she had suffered sexual abuse by the doctor during a series of treatments. Detectives from the Ayalon Police District launched a covert investigation, during which they located additional women who testified that Dr. Levin had sexually abused them, either as patients or as accompanying relatives.
The investigation became public following his arrest in October 2021, and he was rearrested in December after another complaint was filed by a minor regarding an incident that had occurred only a few months prior. Throughout the investigation, Dr. Levin was held under house arrest by court order.
The indictment, filed by the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office, details how Dr. Levin exploited his position, medical knowledge, and the power imbalance between him and his patients, some of whom were vulnerable teenage girls needing critical medical care, to commit sexual acts under the guise of medical procedures. The prosecution alleges that he took advantage of the emotional and physical vulnerabilities of his victims, fully aware of their difficult circumstances.
In its statement, the Health Ministry emphasized that it takes any harm to patients very seriously and maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual offenses in the healthcare system. At the end of the six-month suspension period, the Ministry will reconsider further steps based on developments in the legal case and professional recommendations. In the meantime, Dr. Levin is prohibited from practicing any medical activity in Israel.
