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Israeli Military Drops Sde Teiman Abuse Case Against Five Reservists

The army’s top lawyer said evidence problems, earlier misconduct in his office, plus the alleged victim’s return to Gaza made a fair trial unattainable.

A view of Sde Teiman prison in the Negev desert near the Gaza Strip, in Negev, Israel on January 10, 2025. In a joint statement by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Prisoners and Freedmen's Committee and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, it was reported that 10,400 Palestinians were imprisoned in Israeli prisons as of January 1, 2025. The fate of thousands of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in Gaza is unknown. Most of the detained Palestinians are held in Sde Teiman prison in the Negev desert near the Gaza Strip.
Right-wing protesters wave Israeli flags outside Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli Military Police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. REUTERS/Jill Gralow/File Photo
Protesters gather outside Sde Teiman detention facility after some of them broke in, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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Overview

  • Military Advocate General Itai Ofir canceled the indictments on March 12, ending a high-profile prosecution over alleged sexual and physical abuse of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman.
  • The military cited “exceptional circumstances,” including complex evidence questions, the detainee’s presence in Gaza, and procedural controversies tied to the case.
  • Officials said leaked CCTV did not clearly show violence at the level required for conviction, a leak previously authorized by former MAG Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmy, who resigned and was later arrested.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz welcomed the move, while Israeli and international rights groups condemned it as a whitewash that entrenches impunity.
  • The February 2025 indictment described severe injuries—broken ribs, a punctured lung and a rectal tear—after a July 2024 incident that triggered far-right protests and a violent overrunning of the detention site.