Israeli nurse dies after being set alight by patient Published duration 14 March 2017

image copyright MDA Spokesperson image caption Israeli media report that the perpetrator was a Holocaust survivor suffering from mental illness

An Israeli nurse has died after being burned alive by a patient in Holon, south of Tel Aviv.

Tova Kararo, 56, was doused in a flammable liquid and set alight after a verbal exchange with a dissatisfied patient, a senior police officer said.

The suspect, a man in his 70s, fled the scene by car but was later arrested.

Israeli health workers plan to strike for two hours on Wednesday to highlight concerns over violence directed at their profession.

image copyright MDA Spokesperson image caption Emergency services attended but the nurse died at the scene

Many Israeli media outlets are reporting the perpetrator was a holocaust survivor suffering from mental illness.

Local police chief Sigal Bar Tzvi said the man had come in to the health centre and was thought to have been unhappy with his treatment.

"Following an argument, he poured a flammable liquid he had brought with him ahead of time on the nurse treating him and set her on fire," he was quoted by the YNet news site as saying.

"Resuscitation efforts failed and she was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene."