JERUSALEM: Israel is probing into the deaths of Palestinians detained during the Gaza war as well as a detention center run by the military where an activist group has exposed prisoner abuse, the chief judge and prosecutor of the armed forces have said.
Patients for Human Rights last month pointed to former inmates and one particular physician from Sde Teiman base who all gave accounts that prisoners had experienced extreme violence leading to broken bones, internal bleeding and even death.
Another accusation leveled against Israeli soldiers involved illegal killings during their eight-month conflict in Gaza; this came from Palestinians.
“We have initiated seventy police probes on suspicious events that may be linked to criminal offenses”, Major-General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, head of the military prosecutor’s office, made these remarks in a conference held at Israel Bar Association.
“These inquiries will also address issues pertaining to Sde Teiman jail conditions and detainees’ deaths within IDF custody. We are treating these allegations very seriously and are taking action to probe them.”