Sde Teiman scandal deepens: 'Israeli' soldiers claim leaked rape video blocks fair trial
- Defense attorneys for soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee claim a leaked video has denied their clients a fair trial.
- 'Israeli' military is investigating whistleblowers, not the alleged perpetrators, raising concerns about accountability and systemic abuse.
The ongoing trial of the whistleblowers who leaked the video from the Sde Teiman military detention center has reignited controversy surrounding one of 'Israel’s' disturbing military abuse cases.
The original incident, which took place in 2024 where five reservists at Sde Teiman were indicted for “severe abuse” that left a Palestinian detainee with broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a torn rectum, remains unresolved, with the full findings of the internal probe still unpublished more than a year later.
Read more: 'Israel' investigates whistleblowers who leaked footage of Palestinian detainee rape
Defense attorneys for the five soldiers indicted in the Sde Teiman abuse case now argue that the leak of the video, which shows a blindfolded, handcuffed Palestinian detainee being raped for approximately 15 minutes, has allegedly denied their clients the possibility of a fair trial. They accuse the 'Israeli' military justice system of conducting what they describe as a “drumhead court martial” to appease public outrage.
Read more: 'Israel' investigates whistleblowers who leaked footage of Palestinian detainee rape
New Investigation Targets Whistleblowers, Not Perpetrators
The 'Israeli' army has launched a new criminal investigation, not into the alleged perpetrators of the assault, but into the whistleblowers who leaked the footage to Channel 12. The probe focuses on whether officials within the Military Advocate General’s (MAG) office facilitated the leak. The scandal has already shaken the upper ranks of the military judiciary, with 'Israel’s' chief military prosecutor, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, taking leave amid mounting pressure.
At the time of the incident, the case sparked 'Israeli' protests near military bases, where supporters of the accused rallied in demonstrations dubbed 'Israel’s' “right-to-rape” protests by critics.
The new investigation, launched in the wake of the whistleblower trial, has also prompted police inquiries into whether the MAG’s office misled the High Court of Justice about the handling of the leak. Right-wing media outlets have seized on the affair, focusing heavily on the alleged role of Tomer-Yerushalmi and the MAG office. Some lawmakers hope this scrutiny will shift attention away from the original allegations of abuse by the reservists.
The Original Sde Teiman Abuse Case
A separate 'Israeli' investigative program, Kan 11’s Zman Emet, broadcast additional footage from July 2024 showing soldiers from Force 100, an elite unit tasked with guarding Palestinian political prisoners, assaulting a detainee. The video appeared to show soldiers taking turns attacking the man, raising new concerns about systemic violence within the facility.
Following an internal military police investigation, several soldiers were detained. In February 2025, the Military Advocate General filed formal charges against five of them for severe physical abuse. According to Channel 12, the indictment details how the detainee was stabbed near the anus with a sharp object and beaten repeatedly, resulting in multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, and internal rectal injuries.
During questioning, one of the accused claimed the detainee had “resisted the assault,” allegedly trying to bite one of the soldiers and grab a taser.
Defendants Say Leak Ruined Their Chance of a Fair Trial
At a press conference outside the Supreme Court organized by the Honenu legal aid organization, defense attorneys argued that the leak of the Sde Teiman video, allegedly facilitated by Tomer-Yerushalmi herself, had tainted the legal process. “The wheel cannot be turned back,” said Honenu’s Moshe Polski, insisting the defendants could not receive a fair trial.
One of the masked defendants said: “On October 7 we left our families unquestioningly to defend the country. Now dozens of fighters are still fighting, not on the battlefield, but in courtrooms. They deserve the backing of the system.”
The wife of another defendant added that the country had “spat in the face” of her husband, saying he had “collapsed from the inside, not on the battlefield but because of the country.”
The Sde Teiman case continues to draw sharp criticism from human rights groups, who have long warned of systemic abuse within 'Israel’s' detention facilities. Whistleblowers, former detainees, and rights organizations have documented repeated cases of physical and psychological abuse, humiliation, neglect of medical needs, and deprivation of food and sanitary conditions at the base.
With the whistleblower trial now underway and the original abuse case still unresolved, the affair has deepened mistrust in 'Israel’s' military justice system, and exposed a rift between those defending the soldiers as wartime patriots and those demanding accountability for alleged crimes committed under the guise of national security.
