Israeli Military Drops Charges Against Soldiers Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Palestinian Detainee
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army says it has withdrawn charges against five soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee in an attack partially captured on camera.
It’s a bombshell development in an incident that has divided Israel since Israel moved to detain soldiers at the Sde Teiman military prison, established in 2024 to hold Palestinians gathered in Gaza during its war against the Hamas militant group.
According to the indictment against the accused soldiers, the alleged attack occurred on July 5, 2024.
Video of the alleged attack published by Israeli news shows soldiers taking a detainee to an area they cordoned off with shields in an attempt to conceal their actions. The indictment stated that the soldiers attacked the Palestinian prisoner and raped him with a knife, causing many injuries.
The detainee was taken to a civilian hospital in a life-threatening condition with blunt trauma to his abdomen and chest and fractured ribs, said a medical worker familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.
He said the detainee underwent surgery for a perforated rectum and was released back to Sde Teiman days later.
Tsafrir Abayov via Associated Press
The arrest of the soldiers sparked anger from ultra-nationalists who violently invaded the prison in protest. Members of Israel’s far-right government have described the investigation into their behavior as an insult to their service.
The army’s top legal official acknowledged allowing the video to be leaked to the TV station, and he too resigned.
Israel has long been accused of failing to hold its soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians. The allegations intensified during the war in Gaza. Israel says its forces acted within military and international law and thoroughly investigated the alleged abuses.
The Associated Press investigated the allegations subjected to inhumane treatment and abuse It predates the ones in the Sde Teiman surveillance video.
