Israel drops charges against soldiers accused of abusing Palestinian detainee
Israeli military has dropped charges against five reserve soldiers accused of sexually assaulting and torturing a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility.
Israeli Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir canceled the indictment against the soldiers, who had been charged last year over an assault that allegedly took place in 2024 during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
According to the original indictment, the Palestinian detainee was violently attacked shortly after being transferred to the Sde Teiman military detention center. The soldiers reportedly subjected him to severe beatings and brutal physical abuse, leaving him with serious injuries including broken ribs and an internal tear in the rectum.
The Israeli military claimed that the decision to drop the charges followed what it described as “significant developments” in the case since the indictment was filed. Officials cited the “complexity of the evidence” and the detainee’s release and return to the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025.
Human rights advocates and observers say the decision reflects a broader pattern in which Israeli authorities fail to pursue accountability for violations committed by their forces against Palestinian detainees, particularly during periods of intense military operations.
The case had previously drawn international attention after footage of the assault circulated online, exposing the violent abuse inside the detention facility. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged at the time that the video had caused significant damage to Israel’s international image.
In a related development, Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz announced in October the dismissal of the military’s chief prosecutor, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, amid suspicions that she had leaked the video documenting the assault on the Palestinian detainee.
The footage, broadcast by Israeli Channel 12 in the summer of 2024, showed Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman camp, triggering widespread outrage on social media and renewed calls for accountability.
Israeli media reports indicated that the detainee suffered severe injuries from the assault, including intestinal tears, extensive damage to the anus and lungs, and broken ribs.
Rights groups say the decision to abandon the prosecution reinforces concerns that abuses committed against Palestinian detainees are routinely ignored or minimized, even when evidence of mistreatment becomes public.(ILKHA)
LEGAL WARNING: All rights of the published news, photos and videos are reserved by İlke Haber Ajansı Basın Yayın San. Trade A.Ş. Under no circumstances can all or part of the news, photos and videos be used without a written contract or subscription.
The commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters has declared that the world will soon witness Iran’s triumph and the victory of the “resistance” over its adversaries, in a message marking the first anniversary of the assassination of his predecessor.
Syrian authorities announced Friday that they have begun an investigation into a newly discovered mass grave in the town of Sednaya, believed to contain the remains of opposition fighters killed during the 2014 western Qalamoun battles against militias loyal to the now-deposed regime.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Friday to perform congregational prayers on lands threatened with confiscation by Israeli occupation authorities near the towns of Dura and Idhna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah – carried out a series of targeted operations across southern Lebanon this week, responding directly to persistent Israeli breaches of the ceasefire agreement and repeated aggressions against Lebanese villages and civilians.