A Palestinian prisoner has reportedly been subjected to gang-rape by Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman detention centre in the Negev desert in southern Israel.
According to Israeli Army Radio, a Palestinian prisoner, identified as an “illegal combatant,” was recently arrested from the Gaza Strip and detained in the “Sde Teiman” centre under a permanent detention order.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing a security source, said the prisoner suffered severe injuries to an intimate body part, resulting in his inability to walk.
The prisoner was transferred from Sde Teiman in the Negev desert to a hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel.
In this regard, Israeli military police on Monday, July 29, arrived at Sde Teiman to investigate 10 reserve IDF soldiers suspected of abusing a prisoner.
Nine Israeli soldiers were detained for “serious abuse of a prisoner,” with the 10th expected to be arrested later due to his absence from the base.
The police forces faced resistance from the soldiers who barricaded themselves and used pepper spray to defend themselves before being taken into custody.
Right-wing Israelis reacted with outrage to the arrests, calling for solidarity protests across the country, including dozens of people storming the detention facility.
Around 200 right-wing activists stormed the courthouse in Bayt Lid where the accused soldiers are detained, according to the Israeli Haaretz daily.
Israeli lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky, a member of the ruling Likud party, defended the rape of Palestinian prisoners, stating that “everything is legitimate.”
In a video verified by several media outlets, Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi questioned the legitimacy of inserting a stick in a person’s rectum.
“Yes! If he is a Nukhba everything is legitimate to do him,” screamed Milwidsky.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Knesset Member Yitzhak Kroizer criticized the arrest of Israeli soldiers, urging the military police to refrain from arresting them.
Reports of severe abuses against Palestinian prisoners at the notorious facility have emerged since Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army is believed to have detained thousands of Palestinians, including women, children, and medics.
More than 39,360 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed and nearly 91,000 injured since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
