3 suspects in Sde Teiman abuse case released after new evidence presented
Remands of 5 other reservists extended until Tuesday, during ongoing investigation into suspected sexual abuse of Palestinian detainee
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Three soldiers suspected of the sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel were released from custody on Sunday.
Military prosecutors dropped their demand to extend their remand following new information brought into the case, which related to the extent of their involvement in the incident.
Another five soldiers were to remain held over the high-profile abuse case, with a military court at the Beit Lid base extending their remand until Tuesday, as the Military Police continued its investigation.
In all, 10 soldiers were detained in the case. Last week, prosecutors dropped their demand to extend the detention of two of them.
According to the IDF, the soldiers were suspected of aggravated sodomy (a charge equivalent to rape), causing bodily harm under aggravated circumstances, abuse under aggravated circumstances, and conduct unbecoming of a soldier.
Some of the suspects were also suspected of assault and interfering with the work of public servants, the IDF said.
The reservists were arrested by masked Military Police detectives at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel on Monday.
After the arrests, a mob of far-right activists and lawmakers broke into the base and demonstrated, and later stormed the Beit Lid base where the suspects were being held and questioned.
The investigation into the soldiers was launched after a detained terror suspect was brought from the base to a hospital with signs of serious abuse, including to his anus. He had been arrested by the IDF in the Gaza Strip several weeks ago.
Throughout the Israel-Hamas war, Sde Teiman has been used to hold more than 1,000 detainees from Gaza who were suspected of terrorist activity. The vast majority were suspected of taking part in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
The IDF announced in May that it was investigating suspicions of abuse and torture of detainees in Sde Teiman following reports that the prisoners were being severely mistreated.
The reports alleged widespread abuse of prisoners, including extreme use of physical restraints, beatings, neglect of medical problems, arbitrary punishments, and more.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the High Court that Sde Teiman should only be used for short-term detention and questioning of Palestinian security detainees caught in Gaza.
Terror operatives and other suspects are generally initially held in detention facilities at the IDF’s Sde Teiman, Anatot, and Ofer bases, before being handed over to the Israel Prison Service. The detainees can legally be held for 45 days before they must be either released or moved into the care of the IPS.
Following the abuse and torture allegations and a petition to the High Court, the state announced that the IDF would phase out the use of Sde Teiman, and prisoner transfers began immediately.
