The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy expresses its strong condemnation of the decision by the Israeli Military Prosecution to close the investigation files related to the case of the “Sde Teiman” detention camp, in which Israeli soldiers were directly accused of physical assault, torture, and rape against Palestinian prisoners. Some of these crimes were documented in video recordings that circulated across various media outlets.
The decision to close these files can only be interpreted as a clear attempt to obscure the truth and cover up one of the most serious crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli detention facilities. It once again confirms that the Israeli military judicial system serves merely as a tool to protect perpetrators of crimes and grant them effective immunity from accountability and punishment. It also reflects the level of complicity between the Israeli Military Prosecution and the security and military authorities overseeing the detention system.
The case of the “Sde Teiman” detention camp exposed an unprecedented level of violations against Palestinian prisoners. Multiple reports and testimonies documented detainees being subjected to severe torture and degrading sexual assaults, in blatant violation of all international and humanitarian laws, foremost among them the Geneva Conventions, which strictly prohibit torture, cruel treatment, and sexual violence against prisoners and detainees.
Closing the investigation into this serious case despite the existence of visual evidence and documented testimonies sets a dangerous precedent, confirming that the occupying authorities continue to pursue a policy of impunity and are providing official cover for those responsible for these crimes. This, in turn, encourages their repetition and increases the scale of violations suffered by Palestinian prisoners in prisons and detention centers.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy warns that the continuation of this approach, based on concealment and the protection of perpetrators, will lead to a dangerous escalation in crimes of torture and sexual violence against prisoners, particularly in the absence of any genuine international oversight of Israeli detention facilities.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy affirms that what occurred in the “Sde Teiman” detention camp cannot be considered an isolated incident or an exceptional violation. Rather, it reflects a systematic policy practiced by the occupying authorities against Palestinian prisoners within a repressive system aimed at humiliating them and breaking their will.
Accordingly, we affirm the following:
First: The decision by the Israeli Military Prosecution to close the investigation files related to the “Sde Teiman” detention camp represents a blatant attempt to conceal the crimes of torture and sexual assaults committed against Palestinian prisoners and reflects complicity with the security bodies responsible for managing detention facilities.
Second: We call for the opening of an independent and transparent international investigation into the crimes committed inside the “Sde Teiman” detention camp and for all those responsible to be held accountable before international justice.
Third: We urge international and human rights institutions to take urgent action to halt the crimes of torture and the grave violations suffered by Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli detention centers.
Fourth: We affirm that international silence regarding these serious crimes constitutes an effective cover for their continuation and encourages the occupying authorities to persist in policies of torture and humiliation against prisoners.
The crimes of the “Sde Teiman” detention camp will not be erased by the passage of time, concealment, or manipulation. It will remain a living testimony to the nature of the violations suffered by Palestinian prisoners. Closing the files will neither erase the truth nor silence the voices of the victims; rather, it will strengthen the determination to pursue those responsible for these crimes in all international forums until they receive the punishment they deserve.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy
Thursday, March 12, 2026
