Did you know that Israel sexually assaults and rapes Palestinian hostages?

Amid Israel’s ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people, reports have emerged of a brutal and systematic practice: the sexual assault and rape of Palestinian detainees. These acts of violence are not isolated incidents but part of a broader, institutionalized system of abuse that targets Palestinian men and women under Israeli custody. Testimonies and evidence from rights organizations, including Addameer, Middle East Monitor, and reports covered by major media outlets, paint a harrowing picture of what Palestinian detainees endure at the hands of their Israeli captors.

Systematic Sexual Abuse in Israeli Prisons

Numerous accounts from detainees held in facilities such as Sde Teiman, Ofer Prison, and other Israeli detention centers reveal that sexual violence is used as a deliberate form of torture. Palestinian detainees have recounted being subjected to rape, sodomy with foreign objects, and other forms of sexual assault by Israeli soldiers. One detainee described how he was beaten, stripped, and raped with a foreign object by Israeli soldiers while blindfolded and handcuffed. The pain and humiliation inflicted on him was so severe that he bled for two months and could not sit down without excruciating pain.

These brutal methods are not reserved for a few victims; they are part of a widespread system of torture inflicted on Palestinians, often for the purpose of extracting confessions or simply as a means of dehumanization. The Addameer Foundation, which has documented many such cases, stresses that these acts of sexual violence are flagrant violations of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, and constitute war crimes.

The Case of Sde Teiman: A Detainee’s Death by Rape

The horrors of Israeli detention were made disturbingly clear in July 2024 when a leaked video surfaced showing the gang rape of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility in the Negev Desert. This video, which has been verified by multiple sources, shows Israeli soldiers picking a blindfolded and handcuffed detainee from a group of more than 30 others, dragging him to a corner, and proceeding to rape him. The soldiers attempt to hide their actions from the facility’s surveillance cameras using shields, but the footage clearly captures their crime.

The victim, who suffered severe injuries including a ruptured intestine, was taken to a hospital in critical condition. He eventually died from his injuries. This case, though horrific, is just one among many. Palestinian prisoners, particularly those held in temporary detention facilities like Sde Teiman, face regular torture and sexual abuse, often resulting in long-term physical and psychological damage.

“Everything is Legitimate”: Israeli Leaders Defend Rape as a Military Practice

What is perhaps most shocking about these revelations is the response from Israeli society and its leaders. When the gang rape at Sde Teiman was made public, far-right politicians and many members of the Israeli public rallied not to support the victim, but to defend the soldiers responsible. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, demanded that those who leaked the video be prosecuted, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir openly defended the accused soldiers, calling them “heroes” and decrying their arrest as “shameful.”

Such statements reflect the deep-rooted culture of impunity within the Israeli military and political establishment. The systematic use of sexual violence is not seen as a crime but as a legitimate tool in the broader campaign to subdue and control the Palestinian population. One Israeli politician, Hanoch Milwidsky, made it clear when questioned about the rape of detainees, saying that “everything is legitimate” if it is done in the name of Israeli security, even when that includes inserting a stick into a detainee’s rectum.

Sexual Violence as a Tool of Genocide

Rape and sexual assault in conflict are well-documented tools of genocide. In Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians, sexual violence is used not only to humiliate and torture individuals but also to terrorize entire communities. The psychological trauma inflicted on victims of rape is profound, and the stigma that surrounds sexual violence in Palestinian society further isolates victims, leaving them to suffer in silence.

The systematic use of sexual violence in Israeli detention centers serves as a form of collective punishment, aiming to degrade and dehumanize Palestinians while asserting Israeli dominance. These acts of violence are not aberrations; they are consistent with the broader Israeli strategy of ethnic cleansing, which seeks to erase the Palestinian people through any means necessary.

Calls for International Accountability

International human rights organizations, including the United Nations, have repeatedly called for investigations into Israel’s use of torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. The US State Department and the European Union have described these allegations as “horrific” and demanded swift investigations, but Israel’s military and political leadership have consistently failed to hold perpetrators accountable.

The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has reported that Israel’s use of torture, including sexual violence, has increased since the beginning of Israel’s renewed genocide against Gaza in October 2023. Despite overwhelming evidence of systematic abuse, including firsthand testimonies and documented cases of torture and rape, Israeli authorities continue to deny any wrongdoing. Instead, they have focused on protecting the soldiers responsible, many of whom continue to serve in the Israeli military without facing consequences for their crimes.

Key Facts:

• Sexual violence, including rape and sodomy, is systematically used by Israeli forces against Palestinian detainees in detention centers such as Sde Teiman and Ofer Prison.
• A leaked video from July 2024 showed Israeli soldiers gang-raping a Palestinian detainee, who later died from his injuries.
• Israeli politicians and military leaders have defended the use of rape and torture as “legitimate” practices in the context of Israeli security.
• International organizations, including the UN and human rights groups, have condemned these acts as violations of international law and called for investigations, but Israel has largely ignored these demands.

Conclusion: A Crime Against Humanity

The sexual assault and rape of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces is a clear and egregious violation of international law. These acts of violence, used systematically as tools of torture, serve to further Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. The international community must take immediate and decisive action to hold Israel accountable for these crimes, as the continued silence only emboldens those who commit such atrocities.

The people of Palestine deserve justice, and the world has a moral and legal obligation to act. Without accountability, the cycle of violence and abuse will continue, and the suffering of the Palestinian people will persist. This is not just a violation of human rights—it is a crime against humanity that must be confronted and condemned by the global community.