A serious indictment was filed Wednesday against five IDF personnel, including two reserve officers, for allegedly causing serious bodily harm to a Nukhba terrorist. The five reservists are charged with aggravated abuse and assault of a security detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility. Among the defendants, two hold the ranks of major and captain, while the others are reserve soldiers. The major served as a team commander in Force 100, responsible for guarding captured Hamas terrorists. Initially, the military prosecution reported suspicions of sexual offenses, but the indictment does not mention such accusations.
The Honenu legal aid society issued a statement on Wednesday, saying:
“After six months of legal persecution, the military prosecutor’s office filed indictments this morning against five Force 100 fighters who served at the Sde Teimna base and are suspected of harming the Nukhba terrorist who served as a company commander in Jabalia.
“The fighters, assigned to guard Hamas terrorists, were called to conduct a search for a dangerous Nukhba terrorist, who attacked them during the operation. Two of the defendants are represented by attorneys Adi Kedar, Nati Rom, and Moshe Polsky from the Honenu organization.”
Attorneys Kedar, Polsky, and Rom criticized the indictment:
“This indictment marks a new low for the military prosecution and is a disgrace to Israel’s legal system. After a long and thorough hearing, we successfully proved that the allegations of sexual offenses were baseless, and the final indictment is a far cry from the original accusations that tarnished our clients’ names. Nonetheless, we maintain that this indictment should never have been filed. The investigation was biased, tainted by leaks, and at its peak, even encouraged a despicable terrorist to file a complaint against our heroic fighters.”
They further urged the military court to take decisive action:
“The military court must break away from its natural alignment with the prosecution and independently rule that the defendants committed no crime. Only by clearing their names can their unjustly tarnished honor be restored.”
