Fired Miami dentist Ahmed ElKoussa defends tearing down posters of missing Israeli children saying it was ‘an act of peace’

The Miami dentist who was fired after he was seen ripping off posters of missing Israeli children is defending his actions, which he says were linked to the ‘best intentions.’

“It’s to promote peace, it’s to de-escalate the situation we’re going through and ensure that our communities are safe,” said Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa Thursday.

The dentist is now demanding his job back he was fired from CG Smile when a video circulated showing him and ‘Instagram model’ Xave Ramoul tears off posters Israeli hostages in Brickell on Tuesday.

The 31 year old and his attorney Hassan Shiably both spoke in defense of the video, claiming it was ‘an act of peace.’

Elkoussa said the video, which shows the dentist laughing with his friend in the largely Jewish neighborhood of Brickell, was “taken out of context.”

“Unfortunately, my four-second video was taken way out of context, as well as the way my former employer portrayed it, which is that it is an act of support for terrorism,” ElKoussa said.

Elkoussa claimed he did it to “promote peace” and de-escalate the “situation we are going through right now.” He feared the posters would incite further violence and was merely trying to defuse tensions in the community.

In a statement Thursday, Shiably said ElKoussa’s actions were prompted by the death of a 6-year-old boy in Illinois at the hands of his landlord, which police have called a hate crime.

‘Dr. ElKoussa was simply motivated by fear of copycat acts, as investigators said the landlord was radicalized by emotionally triggered images of the terrorist attack on Israel. That was the sole intention in removing it, and other claims have no basis,” the statement said.

ElKoussa’s attorney is the founder and lead attorney of “Muslim Legal,” a fully Islamic law firm that represents clients whose children are stuck in Gaza, as well as Americans who “have faced backlash from employers, the government and the media for speaking out ‘.

‘We stand up for the children of Palestine. We speak out to stop the attack on Gaza and the safe return of American children held there, and for peace and security for all children, regardless of race and nationality,” he wrote on X.

Shiably told NBC6 that the dentist was concerned the posters would lead to conflict and spoke to police before removing them.

“He wanted to make sure there was no conflict here in Florida. And when he saw those posters, his only concern was that they could lead to an escalation of the conflict,” the lawyer said.

“He deleted them after speaking to the police and said, ‘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, as they could lead to conflict. So what should I do?” the lawyer claimed.

“They said, ‘Listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe.'”

After the video went viral, ElKoussa reportedly received hateful messages from those who found his actions incomprehensible.

“I want to be very, very clear, because my heart goes out to the Jewish and Israeli community, to those innocent lives and civilians, but also to the Palestinians,” ElKoussa said.

“The problem here again is that they hang the posters in Brickell, in the neighborhood where this doesn’t happen, in this neighborhood it causes tension. So if anyone can help these people in any way, by donating, with resources, I urge you to help them and pray for them.”

Shiably said his client had no intention of offending anyone and blamed the website that posted the video for incorrectly assuming ElKoussa’s intentions.

Stop Anti-Semitism, the site that shared Elkoussa’s video, is the leading nonpartisan, American-based organization combating anti-Semitism – which has been seen across the US since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed 1,400 civilians.

“Removing kites left on the side of the road is neither illegal nor immoral in itself,” Shiably said.

‘The motivation behind the removal of these specific flyers is where the question can be asked, and therein lies precisely the problem: the website that posted the video rushed irresponsibly and without the slightest authority to attribute to him intentions that he did not claims or alleges. ‘

Not only does Shiably deny the malicious intent behind his client’s actions, which have hurt many in his community, he is now demanding an apology and ElKoussa’s reinstatement.

“It is outrageous and humiliating that his employer is rushing to an unqualified judgment based solely on the uninformed and wildly speculative word from some random website about what is in Dr. ElKoussa handles. It is indicative of the atmosphere of hysteria we find ourselves in,” the statement said.

“We demand an apology and reinstatement as the only way to restore his livelihood and clear his good name.”

ElKoussa is one of many who have spent their time and effort in recent days taking down posters of innocent hostages in neighborhoods across the country – and then “apologizing” for their actions once there were consequences.

An NYU student admitted to tearing down posters of Israeli hostages this week, blaming her actions on “misplaced anger.”

Yazmeen Deyhimi, a junior at NYU who once worked for the Anti-Defamation League and a self-described “activist,” admitted Monday that he tore down the hostage flyers plastered outside NYU’s Tisch Hall and threw them in the trash.

A now-viral video of their actions has sparked backlash, with many calling on the university to hold the three perpetrators accountable.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Deyhimi “apologized” and offered a bizarre explanation for the shameful act — claiming she was struggling to find her place as a “biracial brown woman” in these “very volatile” times.

“I have found it increasingly difficult to know my place as a biracial brown woman, especially in these very fluid times,” Deyhimi shared. “I felt increasingly frustrated with the times we are currently in, and this misplaced anger in actions that are not an accurate representation of who I am as a person.”