IOF identify 20 suspects in Sde Teiman protest, yet to be questioned
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Haaretz says the delay is reportedly due to opposition from senior Israeli police officials to advancing the investigation.
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A protester waves the Israeli flag in support of soldiers being questioned for detainee abuse, outside of the Sde Teiman military base, on Monday, July 29, 2024 (AP)
Approximately 20 Israeli settlers who took part in protests at the Sde Teiman detention facility and the Israeli occupation military's Beit Lid base in July have been identified by police but have yet to be questioned, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday.
The delay is reportedly due to opposition from senior Israeli police officials to advancing the investigation, according to the newspaper.
The suspects are expected to be summoned for questioning soon, the report mentioned, but given the opposition from senior law enforcement figures, it appears unlikely that any indictments will be filed against them.
On July 29, a group of settlers unlawfully entered the two Israeli military bases to disrupt legal proceedings against reservist soldiers accused of mistreating Palestinian detainees.
Among those were MK Nissim Vaturi of the ruling Likud party, MK Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party, and "National Heritage" Minister Amichay Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit. Despite police obtaining authorization to question the three, they have not yet been interrogated, according to Haaretz.
PPS calls for international probe into Sde Teiman
In early August, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) called on the United Nations for an impartial international investigation into the systematic torture and abuse perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
It urged international organizations investigating the issue to request recordings from surveillance cameras in Israeli detention facilities, which would undoubtedly reveal more evidence of the horrific crimes committed against detainees based on testimonies.
The organization further stated that this crime is just one of many instances of rape committed by occupation soldiers against Palestinian detainees from Gaza, particularly at the Sde Teiman camp, infamous for the torture of Palestinian prisoners, as confirmed by testimonies from recently released detainees and the limited visits conducted by various institutions.
It blasted the occupation's repeated claims about intending to investigate and hold the Israeli soldiers involved in the rape crime at the Sde Teiman camp accountable, calling it a clear attempt to avoid any international investigation into the matter.
It also highlighted that since the beginning of the Israeli genocidal war on the Strip, the occupation has consistently refused to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees, subjecting the majority of Gaza's detainees to forced disappearance.
Read more: IOF soldiers recount how Palestinians were tortured at Sde Teiman
