Israeli court extends pre-trial detention of soldiers suspected of rape

This article was last updated on August 9, 2024

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Israeli court extends pre-trial detention of soldiers suspected of rape

An Israeli military court has extended the pre-trial detention of five soldiers suspected of torturing and raping a Palestinian prisoner. They will remain in custody until at least Sunday. The soldiers from the Sde Teiman army base were arrested last week with five others. Palestinians captured in the Gaza Strip are held at that base.

An Israeli TV channel broadcast yesterday surveillance footage allegedly showing the rape of the man. Soldiers held up shields to conceal what was happening. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz writes based on a medical source that the victim had injuries that he could not possibly have caused himself, because his hands and feet were tied.

Please note, these are intense images:

In response to the news of the extension of the pretrial detention yesterday, dozens of ultra-right Israelis demonstrated at the home of the Israeli army’s top lawyer, who is leading the prosecution of the suspects. They believe that soldiers who defend their country should not be prosecuted.

Fierce protests

The arrest of ten Israeli soldiers led to last week fierce protests of ultra-right Israeli ministers and their supporters. A crowd stormed a military base to show their support for detainees.

Watch images of the storming of the military base last week here:

Protesters storm Sde Teiman

This week, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem described Israel’s prison system as a “network of torture camps.” In a report entitled Welcome to Hell 55 ex-convicts tell their stories about their time in prisons.

Thirty of them are residents of the West Bank and Jerusalem, 21 are Gaza residents and four are Israeli citizens. B’Tselem states that the majority of witnesses were released without charge.

The prisoners face physical violence, sexual abuse, starvation and lack of sleep, says B’Tselem. The human rights organization also reports that at least 60 Palestinians have died in custody since October 7.

Detained without trial

“They tied our hands behind our backs with cable ties and then forcibly dragged us into the hallway. I heard the cries and screams of the prisoners being beaten,” said an anonymous ex-detainee.

“When I got to the dining room, I saw the other prisoners from my cell. Everyone was completely naked and bleeding.” He states that the guards then undressed him and tried to penetrate him with a carrot.

The news channel previously reported CNN, aid organization Save the Children and the UN all that Palestinian prisoners are abused and tortured. The Israeli army denies that this happens systematically. There are more than 9,600 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, about half of whom are being held without trial.

Reporter Sander van Hoorn from Israel:

“There is some outrage in Israel about the stories that are coming to light about the prisons, but that actually quickly fades away. Everyone is mainly concerned about the possibly imminent counterattack from Iran or Hezbollah.

There are commentators who argue that allowing rape is another moral step back for Israel, but you notice that the priority of Israelis is the war. Everyone knows someone who is imprisoned in Gaza or fighting in the Israeli army. Then this is perceived as less important.”