Middle East

Palestinian prisoner group calls for international inquiry into abuse allegations

Israeli investigation into suspected abuse of Palestinian detainee sparks far-right outcry

Protesters wave Israeli national flags in support of soldiers being questioned for detainee abuse, outside of the Sde Teiman military base in Israel. Photograph: Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Protesters wave Israeli national flags in support of soldiers being questioned for detainee abuse, outside of the Sde Teiman military base in Israel. Photograph: Tsafrir Abayov/AP
Tue Jul 30 2024 - 16:21

The association representing Palestinian prisoners called for an international inquiry into allegations of abuse of detainees in Israeli jails since the start of the war in Gaza, following an outcry by right-wing protesters over an Israeli investigation.

Qadura Fares, head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, said on Monday night there had been multiple reports of abuse at Sde Teiman, the military facility in southern Israel at the centre of the investigation.

“Every day, as we witness the massacres against our people in Gaza, we hear horrific and harsh testimonies from legal teams and detainees who are released,” he said in a statement.

[ Israeli military investigation into suspected abuse of Palestinian detainee sparks protests ]

He said the Israeli investigation and the detention of nine Israeli soldiers was a “farce” aimed at misleading world opinion.

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The Israeli military said the investigation into the Israeli soldiers was ordered “following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee”. It provided no further details.

According to Israeli press reports, the soldiers have been accused of sexually abusing the prisoner. Reuters has not been able to independently verify those reports. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Army radio reported that the detainee had been a member of an elite unit of the Islamist armed group Hamas who had been captured in Gaza during the Israeli offensive there that followed the group’s October 7th attack.

The investigation sparked angry protests from some Israelis who said the soldiers had been doing their duty. It also underscored long-standing tensions in the government of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu between hardline nationalist-religious parties and minister for defence Yoav Gallant and the army command.

Protesters, including a number of prominent right-wing politicians, broke into two Israeli military facilities on Monday, in a move denounced by Israel’s army chief as “bordering on anarchy”. – Reuters