News

Israeli army officially reinstates soldiers caught on tape raping Palestinian prisoner

April 17, 2026

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved the return of five Unit 100 soldiers charged with the rape and torture of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman prison to active military service, even though investigations into their crimes remain incomplete, Haaretz reported on April 16.

The decision allows reservists implicated in the assault to resume service while the military says its internal inquiry “will be completed soon,” adding that “the investigation does not prevent them from serving in the reserves.”

The case centers on five soldiers who were charged in February 2025 with raping a Palestinian detainee in Sde Taiman prison in July 2024.

The soldiers beat the detainee, dragged him across the ground, stepped on his body, and used a taser against him, including to the head. One soldier stabbed him in the anus, causing a tear in the rectal wall.

The Israeli soldiers who gang-raped a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman torture center held a press conference boasting that they are still free. They proudly declared: “We will prevail!”
As for the Israeli army’s military prosecutor who dared to investigate their case — an… pic.twitter.com/escQE8f59h

— Issa Amro عيسى عمرو 🇵🇸 (@Issaamro) November 3, 2025

The detainee was hospitalized with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and severe internal injuries.

Professor Yoel Donchin, a medical officer who treated the detainee, described the injuries in blunt terms, saying, “He arrived, and we saw he had a stab wound in the anus,” adding, “I saw a wounded man who had been abused and beaten severely.”

Surveillance footage later showed detainees bound and blindfolded, while a group of Israeli soldiers isolated one individual and attempted to shield their acts from the CCTV camera pointed directly at them.

Israeli soldiers gang raped a Palestinian prisoner.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers protested against the arrest of the rapists.

Israeli politicians defended the IDF’s right to rape on national TV. pic.twitter.com/EX8imPaNwz

— MUSAFIR (@MusafirNafar) January 8, 2026

Despite the footage and medical records, the charges were later dropped after Israeli Chief Military Prosecutor Itai Ofir ordered the indictment withdrawn last month, citing “complexity regarding the existing evidentiary infrastructure,” with no command-level investigation completed since.

Israel’s defense minister later apologized to the soldiers, described their prosecution as an “injustice,” and moved to reinstate them.

The case comes amid a growing body of testimonies and investigations pointing to widespread torture and systematic sexual violence embedded within Israeli prisons.

A new report compiled by Euro-Med Monitor, based on testimonies from former Palestinian detainees, describes an “organized state policy” of sexual violence inside Israeli prisons, with abuse carried out systematically and under official cover.

Sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention centers constitutes a de facto state policy, used as a tool of subjugation and destruction, with a sharp escalation since October 7, 2023, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor found in a new report titled “Another… https://t.co/r5cBWHKIM6 pic.twitter.com/3RaseOq59W

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) April 15, 2026

Victims recount prolonged, coordinated assaults designed to break both dignity and psychological stability, often involving multiple perpetrators, filming, and threats of blackmail. One detainee described being bound naked to a metal table and repeatedly raped over two days, left bleeding and shackled between assaults while soldiers recorded the abuse.

Others reported being stripped, beaten, and subjected to sexual violence involving trained dogs, including forced penetration while guards watched, filmed, and mocked them.

Testimonies also describe denial of medical care, continued abuse while injured, and sustained humiliation, with victims saying the conditions drove them to wish for death.

The report links the abuses to Israeli legal frameworks that strip detainees of protections, with rights groups saying torture, rape, and degradation are embedded features of the system, not isolated acts.

🛑 FLASH | Les civils prisonniers palestiniens attendent leur exécution par Israël.

Ils n'ont même pas le droit de mourir avec un peu de dignité.

Ces sionistes israéliens sont immondes !pic.twitter.com/NIHyCCj2VT

— Ingénieur social-Libre de penser et d'agir ✌️ (@PatrickGuicha20) April 11, 2026

In late March, the Israeli Knesset officially passed legislation mandating death by hanging as the default punishment for Palestinian prisoners convicted in military courts.