Israel: ‘Intensive’ investigation underway into accused of sexually abusing Palestinian prisoner – Firstpost

Israel is conducting an “intensive investigation” into suspects accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner and is determined to comply with international legal standards regarding the treatment of prisoners, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture condemned on Friday what she described as a “particularly cruel” case of alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian prisoner by Israeli soldiers and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said prosecutors had requested that soldiers accused of mistreating a Palestinian prisoner be placed under house arrest and their detention extended until next Thursday.

According to Israeli media reports, the soldiers were accused of sexually abusing a member of an elite Hamas unit in the Sde Teiman prison camp in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

“Israel remains committed to the rule of law and the humane treatment of all prisoners, and all allegations of violence of any kind are systematically investigated by the Israeli authorities,” the ministry said.

The United Nations says it has received several reports of alleged torture of detained Palestinians since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed Israel in a surprise attack, killing about 1,200 people.