Israel army slams public broadcaster for showing faces of soldiers detained in Sde Teiman sexual assault

The Arabic-language channel of Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, came under fire from the military on Monday for showing the faces of soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman Prison in southern Israel, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, the army considered the publication of the soldiers’ faces a “blatant violation of the military court’s gag order”.

The army said it issued an order to the channel to remove the footage.

Last month, ten Israeli soldiers were detained for sexually assaulting a detainee from Gaza at the notorious detention facility, but five of them were later released.

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.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since a 7 October, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 92,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over ten months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.

READ: UN Human Rights Office notes ‘shocking’ video of Israeli soldiers sexual abusing Palestinian detainee