Israel has begun investigating possible abuses of Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza war. The army said on Monday that the action was ordered because of the suspected mistreatment of a detainee. Nine soldiers were arrested as a result.
According to Israeli media, the detainee is a Palestinian who was allegedly abused by the soldiers. The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an organization that monitors prisons, accused the camp’s guards of sexually abusing the Palestinian prisoner. “This is a new crime of rape committed by a group of prison guards against a prisoner in the Sde Teiman camp,” the organization’s head, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, told AFP.
Right-wing Israelis want to obstruct investigations
Supporters of nationalist-religious parties, whose goals include expanding Israel’s territory, tried to obstruct the investigation. Military radio reported that military police had arrived at the Sde Teiman prison camp, where ten soldiers are accused of abusing a prisoner from an elite group of the extremist organization Hamas. Human rights groups have long accused Israel of torturing prisoners at the camp in the Negev desert.
As military police approached the camp, protesters gathered there, including members of parliament from right-wing extremist parties. They protested the investigation and said the soldiers were just doing their duty. Some tried to break into the camp.
“Such actions endanger the security of the state”
Lt. Gen. Herz Halevi condemned the demonstration and justified the investigation. “We are in the middle of a war and such actions endanger the security of the state,” he said. “It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and protect the values of the army.”
However, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leader of the nationalist-religious bloc in the government, said in a video uploaded to “X” that the accused soldiers should be treated as heroes and not criminals.
NGOs condemn prison conditions
The Sde Teiman prison camp was set up to hold Palestinians arrested in the Gaza Strip after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7. Since then, the United Nations and human rights advocates, as well as Hamas-controlled authorities and former detainees, have denounced the abuses in detention.
Human rights group Amnesty International this month called on Israel to end the indefinite detention of Palestinians from Gaza and “rampant torture” in Israeli prisons. The Israeli military says prison conditions are based on international law.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
