Sexual abuse & harassmentCourts & justice

Israel's military dropped all charges against five soldiers accused of raping Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman

Confidence: Corroborated · 4 sourcesIsrael · Sep 21, 2026

Subject of this story

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance

Military Advocate General's Corps

What happened

Israel's military advocate general dropped all charges (aggravated abuse and serious assault, from a 2024 incident and a 2025 indictment) against five reservists accused of severely assaulting and gang-raping a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility, who reportedly suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and rectal damage. The advocate general said prosecutors 'lacked key evidence' after the victim returned to Gaza. The former IDF chief military prosecutor was separately arrested over the leak of surveillance video of the incident. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the accused soldiers 'heroes, not villains.' Amnesty International condemned the decision to drop the charges.

Sources (4)

ABC News (Australia)National broadcaster reporting confirming the dropped charges.

CNNIndependent confirmation with additional detail on the case's yearlong history.

Al JazeeraIndependent confirmation of charges being dropped and of Smotrich's public comments.

Amnesty InternationalHuman rights organization's statement condemning the decision; corroborating but advocacy-oriented.

Response

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

Bezalel Smotrich

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

Military Advocate General's Corps

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

I saw an update

Take action →