Torture, abuse at notorious Sde Teiman prison is systematic policy under knowledge of Israeli army commanders: Reserve soldier

By Ahmed Asmar

The torture and abuse at the notorious Sde Teiman prison facility, under the Israeli army's supervision, is a systematic policy under the knowledge of commanders, a reserve soldier told an Israeli newspaper Friday.

Revealing the atrocious acts and abuses against Palestinian detainees, the soldier told the Haaretz newspaper that most of those tortured are civilians, not even from the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

He added that many Palestinians were released from the prison "in body bags" as a result of torture, medical negligence and starvation.

"I saw them urinate and defecate on themselves because they weren’t allowed to use the toilet. I still remember the smell. Many of them weren’t even militants -- just Gazans arrested until investigation, who were then released home after severe abuse, once it turned out they were innocent," said the unidentified soldier.

He added that he saw surgeries carried out on Palestinians "without anesthesia."

"It’s no wonder people died there. The real wonder is that anyone survived," he noted.

"Everyone who has been in detention knows the extent of the torture, the surgeries without anesthesia, the horrific sanitary conditions. But none of that was aired," he said.

He indicated that torture and abuse at Sde Teiman "isn’t about that one incident. It’s a clear case of policy, and it’s being carried out and maintained with the full cooperation of the Israeli media."

The Israeli army had released dozens of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in recent months without any prior coordination or agreement with Palestine.

There are no exact figures about the number of Gazans held by Israel, but estimates suggest the numbers are in the thousands.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Nearly 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.