Police in Tel Aviv arrested three Israeli settlers from Netanya earlier today on charges of raping an American tourist earlier this month.

All three suspects, in their 20s, are reported to be football players in "Israel’s" lower leagues, according to Channel 12.

Authorities confirmed that the suspects will be brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing. The case has sparked public outrage.

This is happening in parallel with a leaked video from the Sde Teiman detention facility, which continues to stir controversy across "Israel". The footage shows masked Israeli occupation forces leading a bound and blindfolded Palestinian detainee away from a group of fellow inmates before surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility.

Medical records reveal that the Palestinian detainee suffered a ruptured bowel, severe anorectal injuries, lung damage, and multiple broken ribs. He required emergency surgery. Human rights observers have called the video further evidence of systematic torture and rape within the facility.

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Tomer-Yerushalmi, the official who admitted to authorizing the video leak from Sde Teiman, is now under investigation for obstruction of justice, abuse of office, unauthorized release of classified information, and breach of trust.

She was hospitalized over the weekend after a suspected drug overdose at her home, according to Israeli media. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that emergency medical teams responded to a call from her residence, treated her on site, and transferred her to a hospital for further medical evaluation.

Her hospitalization follows a court decision on Friday, placing her under 10 days of house arrest. The court order allows her to leave home only to meet with legal counsel and bars her from contacting any other suspects in the case for 55 days.

Read more: Israeli military doctor recounts appalling scenes from Sde Teiman

Culture of rape

Since October 2023, mounting evidence from UN bodies, international NGOs, and Israeli human rights organizations has revealed widespread and systematic sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s March 13, 2025, report documented patterns of sexualized torture, rape, and attacks on women’s health facilities implicating Israeli security forces, findings consistent with potential war crimes. Testimonies, forensic indicators, and medical evidence collectively establish a strong prima facie case of systematic abuse (UN COI, 13 March 2025).

Human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, have corroborated the UN’s findings through survivor testimonies, video material, and medical reports. B’Tselem’s 2024–2025 investigations documented sexual humiliation and assault in detention centers, particularly in Sde Teiman desert camp, where surveillance footage broadcast by "Israel’s" Channel 12 showed soldiers raping a Palestinian detainee, leading to arrests of nine soldiers.

Joint submissions by Israeli NGOs to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture outlined systemic abuse across seven Israeli prisons, reinforcing that sexual violence has become an Israeli "weapon of war."

Despite this extensive documentation, international justice mechanisms have yet to fully address these crimes. In May 2024, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants in the Situation in the State of Palestine, yet no charges were filed against Israeli officials, revealing a troubling impunity.

Such impunity enabled the rape of a US tourist in Tel Aviv, an act that mirrors a broader pattern of unchecked sexual violence by Israelis, far from, an isolated incident.