Gaza Herald- The Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Eyal Zamir, has approved the return of soldiers to service despite accusations that they sexually assaulted a Palestinian prisoner inside the “Sde Teiman” military base, according to a report by Haaretz on Thursday.
The case dates back to July 2024, when soldiers at a notorious detention facility within the base allegedly tortured and sexually assaulted a Palestinian detainee, causing him serious injuries.
The newspaper reported that Zamir authorized the return of soldiers from “Force 100” to reserve duty, despite accusations that they abused a detainee from the Gaza Strip inside Sde Teiman. The decision came after the indictment against them was dropped, “even though the army has not yet completed a command-level investigation into the case.”
Haaretz quoted the Israeli military as saying that “the ongoing investigation does not prevent service in the reserves, and the investigation will be completed as soon as possible.”
Last March, the military prosecution withdrew the indictment against five soldiers in the case, drawing widespread criticism from human rights groups internationally. The Chief Military Advocate, Itai Ofir, justified the decision by citing what he described as “complexities in the evidentiary structure,” noting that the release of the Palestinian detainee back to Gaza “created difficulties in proving the case.”
The five soldiers belong to “Force 100,” a unit operating within Sde Teiman. The team includes a commander, a translator, and a guard, in addition to personnel responsible for conducting body searches of detainees. The charges also involved additional soldiers tasked with isolating prisoners during searches using plastic shields.
According to the indictment, members of “Force 100” carried out “unusual procedures” inside the detention facility, including searches of detainees. On the day of the incident, a group of prisoners was transferred from Ofer prison to Sde Teiman, including the detainee who was assaulted.
The information indicated that the soldiers initially searched the detainee briefly before restraining him, blindfolding him, and taking him to a search area, where he was isolated from other detainees while other soldiers blocked visibility of what was taking place.
The case began in February of last year, when five reservists were charged with committing serious assaults and causing severe harm to a Palestinian detainee. According to the indictment at the time, the soldiers beat the detainee, dragged him on the ground, stomped on his body, and used a taser on him, resulting in broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The charges also included allegations that one soldier assaulted the detainee in a manner that caused severe injuries to the anal area, an incident that sparked shock and widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
