This article contains graphic details. Reader discretion is advised.
Five Israeli army reservists were charged Wednesday with abuse and causing serious bodily harm to a Gazan detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in July 2024.
The indictment, filed approximately seven months after the incident, alleges that the soldiers assaulted the detainee, dragged him on the floor, stomped on him, and used a taser. The detainee reportedly suffered rib fractures, a punctured lung, and a rectal injury after being stabbed in the buttocks. The court has prohibited publication of the defendants’ names.
According to the indictment, the soldiers targeted the detainee – classified as a “senior and new member” at the detention facility – during a search of security detainees. They allegedly lifted him from a mattress while his legs and eyes were covered, pressed him against a wall, and beat him.
Three other soldiers with shields stood nearby but were not indicted. The detainee “cried out in pain,” began bleeding from his buttocks, and later complained of breathing difficulties and headaches. Hours later, staff noticed blood on his pants, leading to his transfer to a hospital. The indictment states that his injuries required surgery, blood transfusions, and prolonged medical care.
Following the investigation’s launch last July, IDF military police detained nine soldiers, sparking protests at the base. Among the demonstrators were far-right Israeli lawmakers Nissim Vaturi, Tzvi Succot, and former minister Amichai Eliyahu. Last month, reports indicated that police sought approval to investigate the three politicians before questioning additional civilian suspects who allegedly broke into the base.
In October, Haaretz reported that Force 100 soldiers – responsible for guarding Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman – attacked military police investigators, forcibly taking suspects from them at gunpoint and barricading themselves inside a base structure. Despite having evidence, military police delayed an investigation until January, reportedly fearing backlash from right-wing activists.
Attorneys for two defendants condemned the indictment, calling it “a low point for the military prosecution and a disgrace to the judicial system.” They argued that initial allegations of sexual assault had been disproven and described the investigation as “biased and tainted.”
Far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir dismissed the charges, saying, “Instead of supporting IDF soldiers who risk their lives to protect us, the military prosecution is filing an indictment – without even including the central accusation initially leveled against them.”
This is the second case of alleged abuse of Gazan detainees to result in an indictment since the war began. Two weeks ago, an IDF military court convicted a reservist of abusing detainees during their transfer to Sde Teiman, sentencing him to seven months in prison under a plea deal.