Gaza Herald – Israel has dropped charges against five reserve soldiers accused of sexually assaulting and torturing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp in 2024, a decision critics say reflects growing efforts to shield Israeli forces from accountability during the genocide in Gaza.
The indictment filed last year stated that the soldiers assaulted the detainee shortly after he arrived at the facility. According to the case details, the detainee was subjected to severe beatings and physical abuse that left him with serious injuries, including broken ribs and an internal tear near the rectum.
Israeli Military Advocate General Itai Ofir canceled the indictment after reviewing the case. The military said the decision followed what it described as “significant developments” since the charges were filed, as well as concerns over the complexity of the available evidence.
Officials also cited the detainee’s release and return to Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 as a factor that complicated the legal proceedings.
The controversy deepened after Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz dismissed the military’s chief prosecutor, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, in October amid suspicions that she had leaked a video documenting the abuse inside the detention camp.
In the summer of 2024, Israel’s Channel 12 aired footage allegedly showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman facility, sparking widespread outrage online.
Israeli media reported at the time that the detainee suffered severe injuries, including intestinal tears, damage to the anus and lungs, and multiple broken ribs as a result of the assault.
