A leaked video from 2024 allegedly shows Israeli soldiers at a detention site sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner<\/p>\n
The leak of a video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner is the \u201cmost serious public relations attack against Israel,\u201d Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
\nThe footage, filmed at the Sde Teiman base near the Gaza border, showed soldiers leading a blindfolded detainee away and surrounding him with riot shields as they allegedly carried out the abuse. Leaked to Israel\u2019s Channel 12, it aired in August 2024 and caused an uproar.
\nThe detainee was later treated for a ruptured bowel, severe anal and lung injuries, and broken ribs. Five reservists were initially probed for rape, but their charges were later downgraded to \u201csevere abuse,\u201d according to a February indictment. All denied the charges, and the trial is ongoing.
\nThe scandal reignited on Friday after the Israel Defense Force\u2019s (IDF) top military lawyer, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, admitted that she had approved the video\u2019s release and resigned from her post.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Top IDF lawyer quits over video leak of detainee sexual abuse<\/p>\n
At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu decried the scandal, saying the leak \u201ccaused enormous reputational damage to Israel, to the IDF, and to our soldiers.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is perhaps the most serious public relations attack Israel has experienced since its founding \u2013 I cannot recall one so concentrated and intense,\u201d Netanyahu said, as cited by The Times of Israel, and called for \u201can independent and impartial inquiry.\u201d
\nThe leak followed the arrest of the reservists accused of abuse, which sparked right-wing riots demanding their release. In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi said she leaked the video amid pressure to halt the investigation into the incident, insisting her duty was to act on \u201creasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee.\u201d
\nMultiple right-wing politicians, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, have since claimed the release of the footage from security cameras amounted to a \u201cblood libel\u201d against falsely accused soldiers, despite their indictments. Last week, a criminal investigation was launched into the leak.<\/p>\n
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The case drew sharp criticism from a UN commission investigating Israel\u2019s treatment of Palestinians, which said it \u201crepresented the tip of the iceberg.\u201d It noted that detainees at Sde Teiman and other Israeli detention sites were routinely shackled, beaten, and subjected to acts of sexual nature. These and other findings earlier this year prompted the UN to accuse Israel of genocide against Palestinians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A leaked video from 2024 allegedly shows Israeli soldiers at a detention site sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner The leak of a video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t