Israeli Army Reinstates Soldiers Accused of Raping Palestinian Prisoner at Sde Teiman
Key Takeaways
- Unit 100 soldiers accused of torture and rape were allowed to return to reserve service.
- Indictments against five soldiers in the Sde Teiman case were dropped or canceled.
- Army chief Eyal Zamir authorized the reintegration of the accused soldiers.
Soldiers Reinstated
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reinstated five Unit 100 soldiers charged with raping and torturing a Palestinian detainee.
“The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Eyal Zamir, allowed a number of soldiers from 'Force 100' to return to reserve service, despite their involvement in a case of torture and sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Timan military base”
The military prosecution dropped charges citing complexity in the evidentiary infrastructure and the detainee's release to Gaza.
The detainee had been hospitalized with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and severe internal injuries including a stab wound in the anus.
Surveillance footage showed detainees bound and blindfolded while soldiers isolated one individual and attempted to shield their acts from the CCTV camera.
The reinstatement sparked outrage among human rights groups and Palestinian officials.
Graphic Abuse Documented
The abuse was captured on surveillance cameras and leaked to Israeli media in August 2024.
The footage showed soldiers beating the detainee, dragging him, stepping on his body, using a taser, and stabbing him in the anus.
Medical officer Yoel Donchin described the injuries in blunt terms.
Two suspects failed polygraph tests when asked about inserting an object into the detainee's anus.
Despite this, the military prosecutor ordered the indictment withdrawn.
Systematic Sexual Violence
The case comes amid a growing body of testimonies pointing to widespread torture and systematic sexual violence in Israeli prisons.
“Israeli soldiers suspected of raping Palestinian detainee allowed to return to service The Israeli army has approved the return to reserve duty of soldiers suspected of torturing and raping a Palestinian detainee”
A Euro-Med Monitor report described an organized state policy of sexual violence inside Israeli prisons.
One detainee described being bound naked and repeatedly raped over two days.
The United Nations' inquiry accused Israel of using sexualised torture and rape as a method of war.
More than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, including children and women.
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