Israel drops murder charges against 5 soldiers despite video and confession of killing Palestinian

Israel’s state attorney, Amit Isman, on Monday dismissed an investigation against five soldiers suspected of killing a bound Palestinian they held captive. Despite video evidence and admissions of guilt from the suspects, Isman dropped the investigation citing “low credibility of the confessions, which are likely just bravado.”

The investigation, which began in November 2023, focused on Roi Yifrach, Israel Biton, Akiva Kaufman, Israel Peretz and Saar Ofir, who were suspected of killing a Palestinian man they claimed was an elite Hamas fighter. The incident occurred at Sde Teiman detention centre in southern Israel’s Negev desert, a facility where nine Israeli soldiers were arrested in late July for the alleged rape of a Palestinian detainee.

READ: 10 Israeli soldiers detained for abusing Gazan detainee at Sde Teiman Prison

According to Israeli newspaper Maariv, despite substantial evidence including video footage showing the main suspect striking the Palestinian captive, the victim’s body being found in the suspect’s vehicle, and WhatsApp messages containing confessions of killings outside combat situations, the State Attorney dismissed the case citing insufficient proof to charge them with murder.

The investigation began when Ofir, a settler from the Elkana settlement in the illegally occupied West Bank, revealed during an interrogation that Yifrach had shown him a video depicting the stabbing of a bound Palestinian’s face. Four different judges initially issued search warrants after finding reasonable suspicion of murder, and the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court issued arrest warrants for Yifrach, Biton and Ofir.

The case has sparked controversy within Israel, particularly following the arrests of the nine soldiers at Sde Teiman accused of raping Palestinian detainees. That incident sparked a major backlash, with a far-right mob, including an MP and minister, storming the detention centre and a military court in protest against the arrests. Five of those detained were subsequently released to house arrest, pending potential military indictments.

READ: Raping Palestinians: Israel’s weapon of war

A recent poll indicated that a majority of Israeli Jews believe the prison officials accused of sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees should not face any criminal charges at all and should only be subject to internal military discipline. This public sentiment opposing criminal prosecution for detainee abuse cases provides context for the State Attorney’s decision to drop the murder investigation, highlighting broader questions about accountability in Israel’s detention system.

Ofir, one of the suspects in this case, is separately charged with violently assaulting and abducting a Palestinian man in August, leaving him unconscious and bleeding near a checkpoint.

The decision to dismiss the charges has sparked serious concerns about accountability in cases of misconduct against Palestinian detainees. The Sde Teiman facility, in particular, has become a centre of controversy, with separate incidents of alleged murder and sexual assault exposing widespread and systemic issues regarding the mistreatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention.