The Israeli military has dropped charges against five soldiers who had been accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility, a case that had sparked political controversy and public protests inside Israel.
The alleged assault took place on 5 July 2024 at the Sde Teiman military prison in southern Israel. The facility was established to detain Palestinians captured during Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the outbreak of war with Hamas.
According to the original indictment filed against the soldiers, the detainee was taken to an area that had been shielded from view by soldiers holding protective shields. Prosecutors alleged that the soldiers then assaulted the detainee and sodomised him with a knife, leaving him with severe injuries.
Video footage of the incident, which was broadcast by Israeli media outlets, appeared to show soldiers forming a barrier with shields around the detainee while the alleged assault occurred behind them.
A medical staff member familiar with the case, who spoke anonymously due to security concerns, said the detainee was transported to a civilian hospital in critical condition. The patient reportedly suffered blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen, fractured ribs and a perforated rectum, requiring emergency surgery.
The detainee was later returned to the Sde Teiman detention facility after receiving medical treatment.
The arrests of the soldiers in connection with the case prompted strong reactions within Israel. Ultrantionalist activists protested the detentions and forced their way into the Sde Teiman base, while several members of Israel’s far-right governing coalition criticised the investigation into the soldiers’ conduct.
The Israeli military’s chief legal official later acknowledged authorising the leak of the video of the alleged assault to a television station and subsequently resigned from her position.
The decision to drop charges comes amid longstanding scrutiny of Israel’s military justice system and allegations from human rights organisations that Israeli soldiers are rarely held accountable for abuses against Palestinians.