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Israeli military investigates suspected abuse of Palestinian detainee, drawing protests


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.
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.

Israel's military opened an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian held at a detention camp for prisoners captured during the Gaza war, it said on Monday, drawing an outcry from right-wing protesters and politicians.

The military said its Advocate General had ordered the inquiry "following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee." It provided no further details.

Army Radio said military police had showed up as part of their investigation at the Sde Teiman detention site where about 10 reserve soldiers were suspected of abusing a prisoner captured from an elite unit of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Rights groups including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) have alleged serious abuse of detainees at the camp, a former military base in the Negev desert, which Israel has announced will be phased out. The military had previously announced it was investigating allegations of abuse.

As the military police arrived at the camp, a number of civilian protesters, including far right members of parliament, gathered outside, denouncing the investigation of soldiers they said were doing their duty. Some tried to break into the base.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant denounced the break-in attempt.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, the military chief of staff, condemned the protests and defended the investigation, which he said upheld the honor of Israel's military (IDF).

"We are in the midst of a war, and actions of this type endanger the security of the state," Halevi said in a statement regarding the attempted break-in. "It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve IDF values."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent leader of the nationalist-religious bloc in Netanyahu's government and frequent critic of the army command, posted a filmed message on social media platform X saying the soldiers should be treated like heroes, not criminals.

Widespread reports of mistreatment of detainees in Israeli prisons have added to international pressure on Israel over its conduct of the Gaza war, now approaching the start of its 11th month. In May, the U.S. State Department said it was looking into allegations of Israeli abuse of Palestinian detainees.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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