Israeli troops accused of raping Gazan detainee released to house arrest

Israel has released five soldiers accused of brutally gang raping a Palestinian detainee in the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre following an agreement to have them moved to house arrest as they were deemed "not to pose a threat" to the public, Haaretz reported on Tuesday.

Israel's military attorney’s office and the defence lawyers agreed to the release to house arrest of the suspects for 10 days, during which they will be referred to a review by the Probation Service, the report said.

A hearing procedure is expected next week after the investigation is concluded, the report added.

Allegations first surfaced against the suspects after a doctor treating a Palestinian detainee told Haaretz that he had suffered from "a ruptured bowel, a severe injury to his anus, lung damage and broken ribs".

Dr Yoel Donchin said the detainee's case was the most extreme he had witnessed since working at the facility.

The attack was believed to have been so brutal that, after he was transferred to hospital, Israeli media reported that the victim was unable to walk.

Reports of rape against the Palestinian detainee were initially denied by the Israeli Prison Service, which said that it was not aware of them and considered them fabricated claims.

However, on 29 July, ten soldiers belonging to a unit known as Force 100 tasked with guarding the facility were arrested for the rape.

A leaked video of the horrific assault emerged days later, on 8 August, further splitting Israeli society, which was rocked by right-wing protests in defence of the soldiers as police officers who had arrested the soldiers faced death threats.

The case saw members of the Knesset as well as mainstream Israeli media argue that it was morally acceptable to torture Hamas fighters in any way possible, including rape.

It was not clear whether the Palestinian detainee from Gaza had been a fighter or had belonged to the Palestinian group.

Military prosecutors released three of the arrested soldiers on 4 August, adding to the two previously released by investigators following a military court hearing in Kfar Yona on 30 July.

Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights reports have recently indicated that prisoners from Gaza have been tortured at the prison, which has led to the deaths of dozens of them.

The Israeli Supreme Court is considering a petition submitted by local human rights organisations to close the notorious prison, where Palestinian detainees have also suffered medical neglect.

Israel is also currently facing charges of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have been accused of committing war crimes in Gaza by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Chief prosecutor Karim Khan applied for the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in May, but the ICC has yet to do so.