Israeli far-right demonstrators forced their way into an army base to show support for soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee. Crowds gathered outside the Sde Teiman base as military police detained the reservists for an investigation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, urging for "an immediate calming of passions." Protesters also broke into a second base where the reservists were being questioned, but police managed to clear the area.
The Sde Teiman base, near Beersheba in southern Israel, has been linked to reports of serious abuses against Gazan detainees for months. On Monday, dozens of protesters, including far-right MPs from Israel's ruling coalition, broke through the base's gate and attempted to scale the fence, chanting, “we will not abandon our friends, certainly not for terrorists.”
Some soldiers reportedly used pepper spray against military police trying to detain the reservists. Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi called the break-in "extremely serious and against the law," emphasizing that such actions jeopardize state security.
“We are in the midst of a war, and actions of this type endanger the security of the state," he said. "I strongly condemn the incident, and we are working to restore order at the base."
Demonstrators also entered the Beit Lid military base in central Israel, where the reservists were being questioned. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that the investigation must continue, stating, “even in times of anger, the law applies to everyone.”
However, some politicians criticized the arrest of the reservists. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called their detention “nothing less than shameful.”
Local media reports indicate that at least nine soldiers are accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee, identified as a suspected Hamas fighter. The detainee was hospitalized following severe sexual abuse and injuries that left him unable to walk. The military advocate general has ordered an inquiry into the alleged abuse.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, Israeli authorities have detained thousands of Palestinians, often without legal representation. Medical workers at a field hospital in Sde Teiman previously told that detainees were blindfolded, shackled to beds, and made to wear nappies instead of using toilets.
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