JERUSALEM — The Israeli military prosecutor has charged five reservists with brutally assaulting a Palestinian prisoner at Sde Teiman prison, causing severe injuries, including cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and a rectal tear, the military announced on Wednesday (Feb 19). The case involves a detainee linked to Hamas’s elite unit and has exposed serious allegations of mistreatment at the southern Israeli prison.

The alleged abuse took place on July 5, 2024, when the five reservists, stationed at the Negev desert facility, were conducting a search. According to the indictment, the prisoner was handcuffed, blindfolded, and restrained at the ankles when the soldiers inflicted severe violence, including stabbing him with a sharp object near the rectum. Medical records and security footage serve as key evidence in the case.

This incident, first reported last year, sparked intense debate, with protests erupting at Sde Teiman and other locations as authorities investigated soldiers’ actions. Politicians condemned the abuse, but human rights groups and Palestinian activists argue that it reflects a broader pattern of mistreatment in Israeli prisons.

Earlier this month, another soldier received a seven-month prison sentence for repeated abuse of Palestinian detainees. Reports of mistreatment have heightened international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in the ongoing Gaza war. Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas are preparing for indirect negotiations on the next phase of a ceasefire agreement.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters file.