State Dept calls for Israel to investigate allegations of ‘horrific’ sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees

(CNN) — The US State Department called allegations of sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers “horrific” and said Israel must investigate “swiftly” and “fully,” according to a State Department spokesperson.

“There ought to be zero tolerance of any sexual abuse, rape, of any detainees, period,” said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller at a press briefing.

The statement comes after Israeli media obtained leaked surveillance video that allegedly showed Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman base in Israel’s Negev desert.

The footage, broadcast by Israeli channel N12, appears to show a group of detainees lying on the ground at the controversial desert detention facility. A group of soldiers can be seen taking a detainee to a corner of the facility.

Several Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, who were working as guards at the base, are under investigation for the alleged “suspected substantial abuse” of a Palestinian prisoner. The IDF said last month that its Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) was formally looking into the allegations.

According to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), the alleged victim – a man in his thirties – was brought to one of Israel’s public hospitals in life-threatening condition. He had injuries to his upper body and his rectum, the group told CNN.

PHRI said it had raised concern about similar allegations at the base in the past, but that this incident came to light and prompted an investigation because the alleged victim was taken to a public hospital away from the detention center.

“When there are alleged violations, the government of Israel needs to take steps to investigate those who are alleged to have committed abuses and, if appropriate, hold them accountable,” said Miller, who called the IDF announcement of arrests of those alleged to have involved and an investigation “appropriate.”

The IDF said it had no comment on either the leaked video or the State Department’s comment.

A report released by the UN Human Rights Office last week said Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have faced torture, mistreatment and sexual abuse since October 7 and that least 53 have died in detention.

On Wednesday, Israeli lawmakers denounced the video leak. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for an “immediate criminal investigation” to find out who leaked the video, which he described as having “hugely damaged Israel internationally.”

Widespread allegations of abuse

In a CNN investigation released in May, Israeli whistleblowers as well as Palestinian former detainees and eyewitnesses described widespread abuse at Sde Teiman. The abuse included blindfolding, extreme physical restraint, and prolonged handcuffing, leading to severe injuries.

The whistleblowers said that Palestinian detainees at the base were constantly blindfolded and held under extreme physical restraint. Doctors sometimes amputated prisoners’ limbs due to injuries sustained from continuous handcuffing, one whistleblower said. The account tallied with details of a letter authored by a doctor working at Sde Teiman published by Ha’aretz in April.

Several Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, as well as local and international media outlets, also detailed alleged torture and mistreatment at the camp.

Responding to CNN’s request for comment on all the allegations made in its May 10 investigation, the Israeli military said in a statement: “The IDF ensures proper conduct towards the detainees in custody. Any allegation of misconduct by IDF soldiers is examined and dealt with accordingly. In appropriate cases, MPCID investigations are opened when there is suspicion of misconduct justifying such action.”

“Detainees are handcuffed based on their risk level and health status. Incidents of unlawful handcuffing are not known to the authorities.”

The IDF did not directly deny accounts of people being stripped of their clothing or held in diapers. Instead, the Israeli military said that the detainees are given back their clothing once the IDF has determined that they pose no security risk.

Earlier in July, following an international outcry over reports of abuse at the Sde Teiman detention facility, Netanyahu told Israel’s Supreme Court that he had ordered an end to long-term imprisonment at the detention center, limiting its use to initial interrogations and a temporary holding facility.

The vast majority of prisoners had already been transferred out of the desert facility, according to the Israeli government’s statement to the court at the time.

CNN’s Abeer Salman, Tamara Qiblawi, Allegra Goodwin, Barbara Arvanitidis, and Rob Picheta contributed to this report.

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