Israeli authorities have arrested nine Israeli soldiers on suspicion of mistreating a prisoner. Israeli demonstrators stormed an army camp on Monday to protest the arrests.
Short version
- Israeli occupation forces arrested nine Israeli soldiers on suspicion of mistreating a Palestinian prisoner.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality guaranteed by Aftenposten journalists.
A military spokesman told AFP that the soldiers would be questioned. The suspicions relate to incidents that occurred in a prison holding Palestinian prisoners held in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, Haaretz reported that several soldiers were arrested on Monday after allegations of mistreating a Palestinian prisoner in Sde Teiman prison.
According to security sources, the Palestinian prisoner was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to his abdomen, injuries that left him unable to walk. The age and condition of the person in question are unknown.
Amnesty International had previously reported that Israel was torturing Palestinian prisoners of war.
Confrontation
The arrests led to a standoff between military police and soldiers. Some soldiers refused to leave the military base when military police wanted to arrest them, and allegedly barricaded themselves in the facility.
Soldiers also reportedly used pepper spray against military police. Haaretz.
The newspaper also reported that dozens of civilians, including members of the National Assembly (Knesset), stormed the base in protest of the arrests.
Video shows Zvi Sukkot, a member of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's religious party, leading the way as a group of protesters stormed the base's gate, chanting slogans against the arrests.
Police then arrived and escorted the protesters off the base where they continued their protest.
Protesting the arrest
In a recording of the arrest, a soldier says the soldiers stand together “against the IDF arresting our fellow soldiers.” Another soldier says, “The military police came to arrest us because we are responsible for the elite terrorists.”
“Everyone in Israel should demonstrate for us, because I cannot bear the shame of being arrested while I gave my life for you, for my country,” says the soldier.
Israeli Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir described the arrests as shameful and asked the IDF chiefs of staff and military authorities to support the soldiers and learn from the prison service.
Netanyahu condemns
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns the protesters' entry into the base and calls for calm regarding the situation.
Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Galant also condemned the entry into the base.
Galant makes it clear that he respects the soldiers assigned to guard Palestinian prisoners, but the investigation must be allowed to take its course.
Haaretz quoted eyewitnesses as saying that soldiers in the force at the Sde Teiman base had previously been involved in several violent incidents.
One witness says that on one occasion they ordered the prisoners to lie down on the floor, then threw a stun grenade into their midst and kicked them hard. Others claim that the prisoners were beaten with batons.
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