Khaberni - Convicted Israeli soldiers defended their crime of torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner at the infamous "Sde Teman" prison, demanding thanks for their actions.
According to Channel 7 of Israeli news, on Monday, the soldiers defended their actions at a press conference held at the entrance of the Israeli Supreme Court in West Jerusalem, on Sunday.
A video clip of the conference, published by the Israeli channel, showed the soldiers wearing black masks to conceal their identities.
The channel reported that "A," the first letter of one of the accused soldiers' names, said at the conference: "I stand here today because I am tired of being silent (...) Instead of being embraced, we received accusations, and instead of thanks, there was silence."
He added in defense: "You didn't allow us to respond or clarify, instead, you gave us a show trial in front of the cameras, and you have already determined who is guilty."
Boasting about his actions, he said: "We will not be silent; we will continue to fight for justice and for our families, you may have tried to break us, but you forgot that we are a force of a hundred men."
The case dates back to July of last year when Israeli soldiers tortured a Palestinian prisoner from Gaza at the "Sde Teman" detention center, resulting in severe injuries and rectal tearing.
Earlier on Monday, the Tel Aviv court extended the detention of the resigned military prosecutor Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi for three days, after she allowed the video of the assault on the Palestinian to be published, which sparked widespread controversy and outrage.
Yerushalmi, who was arrested today, said in her resignation letter on Friday: "I authorized the release of materials to the media to refute the false propaganda against the military law enforcement agencies," according to Hebrew media.
Meanwhile, "Haaretz" newspaper claimed that Israel released the detainee in October to the Gaza Strip.
"Haaretz" reported: "Shortly after the incident (video publication), prominent right-wing figures continued to incite against Yifat Yerushalmi, while voices from the opposition objected to these statements."
The newspaper mentioned that Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Tomer Yerushalmi "will not return to her position due to the seriousness of the suspicions surrounding her."
More than 10,000 Palestinians, including children and women, are held in Israeli prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect that has claimed the lives of many detainees, according to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations.
The assaults on Palestinian detainees have increased, alongside a genocidal war that Israel, with US support, has waged on the Gaza Strip for two years since October 8, 2023, leaving more than 68 martyrs, and over 170,000 injured, most of them children and women.
