Investigation launched into last month's riots at 2 IDF bases following arrest of soldiers for abusing Palestinian terrorist in prison

Nearly two weeks following the arrest of several Israeli soldiers suspected of abusing a Hamas Nukhba terrorist, which sparked demonstrations at two IDF bases, Israeli authorities have announced the launch of an investigation into the riots.

The Israel Police and the Military Police's Criminal Investigations Division have confirmed the initiation of a probe into the participants of the July 29 riots. During these disturbances, members of the government and the public breached the Sde Teiman and Beit Lid bases. The investigation will examine the events and actions taken during the riots. As of now, there have been no arrests or suspects detained for questioning

Several Knesset members, including MK Nissim Vaturi of the Likud party, MK Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party, and National Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of the Jewish Power party, participated in the riots, breaking into the IDF facilities. 

Sukkot defended his actions, saying, “A member of Knesset can enter anywhere in the State of Israel.” 

On Sunday morning, Israeli politician Amichai Shikli and Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman wrote to Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein. They requested an emergency meeting to discuss the actions of Military Advocate General General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi after a video leaked showing soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian terrorist. 

N12 News released a video last week allegedly showing several soldiers from the base abusing a Palestinian prisoner who was being taken for medical treatment.

Despite claims that the video was inaccurate, the IDF prosecution in the case asked the military court to extend the detention of five prison guards from Sde Teiman until Tuesday. 

The prosecution also said that it will not oppose beginning a social worker evaluation for the guards, opening up the possibility of house arrest or some other form of restriction in lieu of a full detention. 

On Thursday, members of the "Choose Life" forum, together with families of reservists and soldiers, wrote a letter to Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, State Prosecutor Amit Isman and the head of the National Security Council, Yuval Shimoni, who oversees investigations of leaks within the defense establishment. They called for a probe into the leaked video concerning the Sde Teiman incident.

The letter stated that "leaking investigative materials constitutes a criminal offense under several sections of the Penal Code and is particularly serious when it occurs in the midst of a war.” 

The forum argued that the footage was compiled from several clips but presented as a single continuous video and caused “dramatic and unprecedented” damage to Israel's image.

The letter cited “tens and hundreds of millions of views within a short time” which “served as a tool in the hands of elements hostile to Israel, including terrorist organizations and enemy states.” 

“Due to the effects of the video's publication,” the letter said, “there is a tangible danger to Israelis and Jews around the world.” 

The group also claimed that "failure to investigate the leak is liable to undermine the credibility of the Israeli enforcement system, thereby harming the 'principle of complementarity' and the status of Israel in international courts.”