Israeli prison guards who had raped a Palestinian political detainee have been allowed to return to reserve duty.
The decision was approved this week by IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, who has permitted the five members of Unit 100 to resume service.
The decision has been lambasted by human rights groups in Israel and on social media.
There is something deeply unsettling about a case that begins with grave allegations and ends quietly, with nothing. In July 2024, soldiers at the notorious Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel tortured and sexually assaulted a Palestinian detainee, leaving him with serious injuries, including rectal damage.
The Military Advocate General’s (MAG) office earlier decision to drop charges against the Israeli soldiers reignited serious concerns about accountability within Israel’s military justice system. The case, which included allegations of severe physical and sexual violence, has now been closed, reportedly due to “evidentiary difficulties” and procedural complications.
According to the indictment filed last year, the Palestinian detainee was allegedly beaten, dragged while handcuffed, stepped on, and subjected to electric shocks. The reported injuries were extensive, including broken ribs and a punctured lung. More disturbingly, the charges included an allegation that one of the soldiers stabbed the detainee in the buttocks, causing rectal injury.
Medical testimony appears to support the severity of the abuse. A doctor who examined the Palestinian detainee described finding intestinal tears, broken ribs, and a stab wound. He expressed disbelief at the extent of the injuries, noting that the level of harm was difficult to reconcile with expectations of conduct within a formal detention setting.
And yet, despite the weight of these claims, the case collapsed.
The soldiers, once charged, now walk free. In effect, they have been allowed to return to reserve duty.