Gaza Herald – The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor announced that Israel’s decision to drop charges against five soldiers accused of raping and torturing a Palestinian detainee from Gaza at the Sde Teiman detention facility reflects a deliberate collapse of Israel’s accountability system and reinforces a broader policy of impunity for crimes committed against Palestinians.
In a statement on Friday, the rights group said dismissing the indictment does not indicate that the crime did not occur or that those involved were innocent. Instead, it argued, the move highlights structural collusion between Israel’s judicial, military, and political institutions, which it said are increasingly used to shield perpetrators rather than ensure justice for victims.
According to the organization, the case dates back to July 5, 2024, when five Israeli soldiers assaulted a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman facility in the Negev desert. The detainee, who was reportedly handcuffed, blindfolded, and restrained, was subjected to severe abuse, including sexual assault with a sharp object, which resulted in broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a serious internal tear.
Euro-Med said the assault was documented in leaked surveillance footage from inside the detention facility. The video reportedly showed soldiers escorting the detainee to a corner of a hall before surrounding him and using riot shields to obscure their actions, while one soldier held a dog nearby.
The organization criticized Israeli authorities for focusing their efforts on investigating the leak of the video rather than the alleged crime itself. Former Israeli military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was reportedly investigated after admitting she had authorized the release of part of the footage to the media to counter what she described as political pressure and misinformation surrounding the case.
Euro-Med further pointed to statements by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who praised the decision to drop the charges and described the soldiers as heroic fighters. The group said such reactions demonstrate political support for shielding soldiers from accountability.
The rights monitor stressed that procedural arguments cited by the Israeli military, such as evidentiary complications and the victim’s release back to Gaza, do not negate the alleged crime, especially given the existence of video footage, medical documentation, and testimonies from doctors who treated the detainee.
Euro-Med concluded that the case reflects a wider pattern of abuses against Palestinian detainees, including torture, sexual violence, humiliation, denial of medical care, and other forms of degrading treatment documented by international and Israeli rights groups.
The organization called on the International Criminal Court to prioritize investigations into abuses against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention camps. It also urged the international community to impose sanctions on Israel and ensure accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
