Gaza Genocide16 July, 20262 min read
Israeli Army Investigations Into Deaths Of 57 Palestinian And Lebanese Detainees End Without Indictments
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Investigations into detainee deaths ended without indictments. Haaretz reported the investigations ended without indictments.
Investigations end uncharged
Israeli military investigations into deaths of Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip ended without indictments, with Haaretz saying the Israeli army opened 57 criminal investigations into the deaths of 56 Palestinian detainees and one Lebanese detainee. The accounts described most deaths as occurring inside closed military detention facilities despite surveillance cameras and witnesses, while the army attributed the lack of results to what it called “evidentiary difficulties” tied to wartime conditions.
The same reporting said investigations into allegations of beatings, violence, and unlawful use of force resulted in only two indictments, and that investigations into alleged looting in Gaza and Lebanon were closed without indictments. A parallel report in جريدة القدس said the Israeli military establishment opened 57 criminal investigations related to deaths of detainees from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon during the ongoing war, but none resulted in indictments against those responsible.
Claims, denials, and criticism
Haaretz reported that the Israeli army justified its failure to achieve concrete results by citing “complexities of proof” from field combat conditions, while military sources said inability to accurately identify suspects prevented cases from progressing to judicial proceedings. The جريدة القدس report added that the army even claimed not to know the timing of two of the serious incidents, and it described how most deaths subject to criminal investigation occurred within military detention facilities under strict security control.
In a separate thread on prison abuse, عربي21 cited The Wall Street Journal’s account that the Israeli Ministry of Justice admissions and interviews with former prisoners pointed to brutal beatings, severe starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect leading to dozens of deaths. That same عربي21 report said an Israeli Democracy Institute poll found that 61 percent of Jewish Israelis oppose investigations into soldiers accused of abuses against Palestinians, and it also noted that the Israeli attorney general closed an investigation into five reserve soldiers accused of brutal assault on a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman camp in 2024.
What comes next
The reporting framed the lack of indictments as part of a broader pattern of accountability failures, with Al-Jazeera Net saying Israel continues to refuse to hold accountable or even to charge any soldiers or officials involved in torturing and killing Palestinian prisoners.
Al-Jazeera Net also cited Haaretz’s claim that 57 prisoners died, including one Lebanese detainee, inside military facilities equipped with surveillance cameras, and it said no Israeli was charged due to the difficulty of obtaining evidence because of the war conditions.
In the same account, extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was described as planning to establish a crocodile-enclosed prison to prevent escapes of prisoners, especially those affiliated with Hamas, as international criticism of detention treatment rises.
The article further quoted Israeli affairs expert Dr. Mohannad Mustafa saying Israel does not charge anyone in these abuses because it “practice clear sadism and racism against Palestinians,” and it tied that claim to the expectation that no one would be held accountable for the documented crimes.