5 IDF reservists indicted for severe abuse of Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman

Military prosecutors on Wednesday filed an indictment against five reserve soldiers for severely abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Israel Defense Forces’ Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel last summer.

The high-profile investigation into the abuse caused outrage among coalition politicians, government ministers, and right-wing activists. When the reservists were detained on July 29, 2024, dozens broke into the detention facility and another army base in an attempt to thwart the arrests.

According to the indictment, the five soldiers severely beat and assaulted the prisoner after he was brought to the detention facility on July 5, 2024, leaving him with severe injuries, including broken ribs and an internal tear in his rectum.

The IDF said the indictment was based on a Military Police investigation, including “extensive medical records and authentic visual documentation from the security cameras in the detention facility.” (Leaked footage aired by Channel 12 news in August purported to show the abuse.)

The five soldiers — a team commander, a security guard, an interpreter, and two others — were members of “Force 100,” a Military Police reserve unit tasked with guarding terror suspects at the Sde Teiman base. Two were officers with the ranks of major and captain, and the other three were a sergeant major, a sergeant first class and a corporal.

Alongside the five accused reservists was a group of three soldiers tasked with shielding those carrying out the searches from the other detainees held at the facility, using plastic riot shields. Another two soldiers were situated outside the detention area and were tasked with securing the site.

Initially, all 10 soldiers were detained, though prosecutors did not seek to hold the other five soldiers in custody.