[News] Israeli Soldiers Accused of Raping Palestinian Detainee Defend Actions in Public

[Anti-Imperialist News]

palestinechronicle.com 
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/israeli-soldiers-accused-of-raping-palestinian-detainee-defend-actions-in-public/> 



  Israeli Soldiers Accused of Raping Palestinian Detainee Defend Actions
  in Public

November 4, 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israeli soldiers accused OF sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee 
at the Sde Teiman prison have publicly defended their crime. (Photo: 
video grab)

*By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
<https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/palestine-chronicle-staff>*


          The soldiers, wearing black masks to conceal their identities,
          made the remarks during a press conference held outside the
          Supreme Court in West Jerusalem.

Israeli soldiers accused of torturing and sexually assaulting a 
Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman prison have publicly 
defended their crime and demanded “gratitude” for their actions, Israeli 
media reported.

The soldiers, wearing black masks to conceal their identities, made the 
remarks during a press conference held outside the Supreme Court in West 
Jerusalem on Monday.

“I stand here today because I am tired of silence. Instead of 
appreciation, we received accusations — instead of thanks, there was 
silence,” Israeli Channel 7 quoted one of the accused soldiers, who was 
identified by the initial “A”.

“We were not allowed to respond or explain; we were given a show trial 
before cameras, and you had already decided who was guilty,” he claimed.

The soldier proclaimed, “We will not remain silent. We will keep 
fighting for justice and for our families. Maybe you tried to break us, 
but you forgot that we are the strength of a hundred men.”


        Leaked Footage

The case dates back to July 2024, when Israeli soldiers tortured and 
sexually assaulted a Palestinian detainee from Gaza inside Sde Teiman in 
southern Israel, causing him severe injuries and internal rectal 
tearing. Surveillance camera footage of the atrocity was leaked to the 
media.

In February, military prosecutors charged five soldiers over the 
assault. The indictment says the soldiers beat the detainee after he was 
brought to the facility on July 5, 2024, causing multiple fractures and 
internal rectal tearing.

A court imposed a gag order on the defendants’ names. They are not in 
custody and face no restrictive conditions.


        Chief Prosecutor Detained

On Monday, a Tel Aviv court extended the detention of former Israeli 
military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi for three days after it 
emerged that she had authorized the release of the footage, sparking 
global outrage.

Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned on Friday, saying she allowed the publication 
of the footage “to counter false propaganda against law enforcement 
agencies in the army.”

She was detained hours after reportedly having gone missing on Sunday 
morning, on suspicion of obstruction of justice and breach of trust, 
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said, according to Anadolu.

The report added that she was interrogated on accusations of obstructing 
the investigation, leaking classified material, and giving false 
testimony after being linked to the release of the footage.

Tomer-Yerushalm was arrested along with retired Colonel Matan Solomesh, 
the army’s former chief military prosecutor. According to Anadolu, KAN 
reported that messages and testimony in police possession indicate 
Solomash knew Tomer-Yerushalmi was behind the leak but failed to report 
it when an internal probe was launched.


        ‘Damaging’ – Netanyahu

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that prominent right-wing figures 
continued to incite against her after the video surfaced. Defense 
Minister Israel Katz said she would not return to her post “due to the 
gravity of the suspicions,” and signaled he will soon appoint an interim 
replacement and launch the process to name a new Military Advocate General.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Telegram 
that Tomer-Yerushalmi was placed under strict supervision in custody 
“for her own safety.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the abuse incident at 
Sde Teiman was “the most damaging” to Israel’s image and that of its army.

There are currently over 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, 
including women and children, who face torture, starvation, and medical 
neglect, conditions that have caused numerous deaths, according to 
Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.


        Documented Crimes

The Anadolu news agency cited Israeli journalist Yoana Gonen, who 
criticized the soldiers’ portrayal as heroes, calling them “a symbol of 
today’s Israel — a nation marked by shame and disgrace.”

Gonen wrote in Haaretz under the title “What did we really want? To 
torture quietly without the world finding out and making us 
uncomfortable,” referring to the leak as “perhaps the most serious 
propaganda attack against Israel since its founding,” while ignoring the 
documented crimes in the footage.

“Two years of indiscriminate destruction in Gaza, soldiers posting war 
crimes on TikTok, ministers boasting of torture, journalists calling for 
genocide — yet only the propaganda leak reminded the system that the law 
is supposed to apply,” he said.

Israel has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and 
injured over 170,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.

/(PC, AA)/

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