Israeli army document discloses raped Palestinian inmate was civilian, not fighter
Iran Press TV
Tuesday, 04 November 2025 10:29 AM
A classified Israeli military document has revealed that the man who was subjected to a brutal assault by a group of Israeli soldiers at the notorious Sde Teiman prison facility in July last year had never been charged with any crime and was a civilian, opposed to claims of his affiliation to the Hamas resistance movement.
For months, proponents of the occupying Tel Aviv regime claimed that he was an elite member of the Nukhba unit of Hamas, who took part in the large-scale and surprise anti-Israel operation, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Flood, on October 7, 2023, to justify the atrocity.
The leaked document confirms that he was a civilian — one among 1,700 Gazans detained without charges and released from Israel's detention facilities during the recent exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian detainees on October 13, 2025.
As part of the deal, Israel agreed to release 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who had not been formally charged with any crimes.
Israel continues to hold over 9,000 Palestinians, with more than half of them being kept behind bars without formal charges. Additionally, hundreds are reportedly confined in undisclosed military facilities, such as Sde Teiman.
The video of the rape had originally been leaked to the press in early August 2024 following the arrest of a number of soldiers for the rape of a Palestinian prisoner.
In the leaked footage, soldiers can be seen grabbing and leading away a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner before surrounding him with riot shields to obscure the rape.
Israeli troops convicted of raping Palestinian roam free
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers found guilty of torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the infamous Sde Teiman detention facility have openly justified and defended their actions, insisting they deserve gratitude for what they did.
The soldiers, who wore black masks to conceal their identities, made their remarks during a press conference held outside the so-called Supreme Court in West al-Quds on Monday.
"I stand here today because I am tired of silence. Instead of appreciation, we received accusations — instead of thanks, there was silence," Israeli Channel 7 quoted one of the accused soldiers, who was identified by the initial "A."
"We were not allowed to respond or explain; we were given a show trial before cameras, and you had already decided who was guilty."
Boasting about his actions, he said, "We will not remain silent. We will keep fighting for justice and for our families. Maybe you tried to break us, but you forgot that we are the strength of a hundred men."
Five reservists have been officially charged following the leak of the video. One of the accusations against them includes using a "sharp object" to stab the detainee in the area near the rectum.
On Monday, a court in Tel Aviv extended the detention of former military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi by three days, following her authorization to release a video depicting acts of rape and torture, which triggered widespread international outrage.
Tomer-Yerushalmi stepped down on Friday, stating that she had permitted the release of the footage "to counter false propaganda against law enforcement agencies in the army."
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel released the assaulted detainee in October and sent him back to Gaza. However, this has not been confirmed by Hamas or Palestinian prisoner organizations.
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