- Israel: Soldiers charged with mistreating prisoners
Due to suspected abuse of Palestinian prisoners, Israel's Military Attorney General has charged a soldier. He is accused of using "severe violence against the prisoners in his care" while securing the transfer of so-called security prisoners to Israeli prisons between February and June of this year, as reported by the Israeli military.
During some of these transfers, the reservist allegedly struck the prisoners, despite them posing no threat and being restrained with handcuffs and blindfolds. He is said to have beaten the prisoners with a club and his personal weapon, while recording the incident on his phone.
There have been repeated reports of poor conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. On Monday, Israeli military police arrested nine soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base near the desert city of Beersheba, accused of severely sexually assaulting a Hamas terrorist, causing him to be hospitalized with injuries.
Following the arrest of the soldiers, there were massive riots in Israel. Immediately after the arrest, angry protesters stormed the base to protest. Similar protests also took place at other locations, such as the Beit Lid military base north-east of Tel Aviv, with far-right lawmakers involved. Relatives of the soldiers called for further protests and denied the allegations against them.
The conflict surrounding the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody has gained significant attention after the charged soldier's case. The violent incident, involving severe violence against prisoners, has sparked outrage and led to numerous protests across Israel.
