Israel drops charges against 5 soldiers accused of sexually assaulting Palestinian detainee

JERUSALEM

The Israeli military prosecution on Thursday canceled the indictment of five soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman prison in southern Israel.

"In light of significant developments that have occurred since the indictment was filed in the Yemen Field case, the military prosecution has decided today to cancel the indictment," the Israeli army said in a statement.

The torture case dates back to July 2025, when Israeli soldiers tortured and sexually assaulted a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility, causing serious injuries and a tear in the rectum.

Earlier, the Israeli media outlets, including the public broadcaster KAN, claimed that Israel released the tortured detainee on Oct. 13, 2025, to the Gaza Strip as part of a group of prisoners released under the deal with the Palestinian group Hamas.

Sde Teiman, which literally means "Yemen Field" in Arabic, is an Israeli military base in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.

Interrogators there have become notorious for physical and sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees from Gaza to the extent that it has been dubbed “Israel’s Guantanamo" in reference to the infamous US detention facility.

The Sde Teiman prison has witnessed widespread violations against Palestinian detainees, including severe beatings, prolonged restraint, and medical neglect, which have killed people, according to Palestinian and Israeli media and human rights reports.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel