Israeli soldiers arrested for alleged abuse of Palestinian detainee

Israel's military said on Monday that it launched an investigation into a suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee at a detention camp, arresting Israeli soldiers on suspicion of involvement in the abuse, reported Xinhua.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the Palestinian man, held at the Sde Teiman camp, was taken to a hospital with severe injuries to his genitals and unable to walk due to his medical condition.

Located in southern Israel, the Sde Teiman was used by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) as a camp for holding Palestinians captured during its conflict with Hamas.

According to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, an Israeli human rights group, "dozens" of incarcerated Palestinians from both Gaza and the West Bank have died in Sde Teiman and other Israeli detention centers due to the prevention of basic medical care, beatings, sleep deprivation, attacks with dogs, sexual abuse, and hunger.

The IDF said in a statement sent to Xinhua that "following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee held in the Sde Teiman detention facility, based on the order of the Military Advocate General's Corps, an MPCID (Military Police Criminal Investigation Division) investigation was opened."

Israel's Army Radio reported that about 10 reserve soldiers are suspected of taking part in the abuse, and at least nine of them were arrested.

Following the arrests, dozens of ultra-nationalist activists broke into the camp. Footage on social media showed them breaking the camp's gate, clashing with military police officers, and shouting at them.

Lawmakers from the Religious Zionist Party, a far-right pro-settler party, which is part of Israel's governing coalition, and Likud, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, also arrived at the camp and called for the release of the suspects.

Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister and an ultra-nationalist leader, posted a video statement on social media platform X, saying the soldiers should be treated like "heroes, not criminals."

Netanyahu issued a statement calling for "immediate calm at Sde Teiman" and "strongly" condemned the breaking into the camp. More IDF and police forces were sent to the camp to halt the rioters, according to the army.

Military chief Herzi Halevi denounced the break-in as "extremely serious and against the law."