DayofPal– A reserve soldier in the Israeli army has come forward with harrowing confessions of systematic abuse and torture at the Sde Teiman detention facility, located roughly 30 kilometers from the city of Bir Al-Sabi’ in the Negev desert.
In a chilling testimony, the soldier described the camp as a “sadistic torture site” where dozens of Palestinian detainees from Gaza have died under brutal and inhumane conditions.
“People enter alive and leave in body bags,” he recounted. “The real surprise is if someone survives.”
The soldier’s account, corroborated by testimonies from released detainees, medical professionals, and other Israeli personnel, paints a grim portrait of Sde Teiman. He said detainees, many of them civilians, were subjected to starvation, medical neglect, and unspeakable physical abuse.
“Some urinated and defecated on themselves because they weren’t allowed to use the bathroom,” he said, emphasizing the denial of basic hygiene and dignity.
He further stated that numerous detainees had no ties to militant activity and were later released after proving their innocence. “They were arrested, tortured, and later released after proving innocent,” he said.
A particularly damning aspect of his account involves the acknowledgment of senior Israeli officials’ awareness of the conditions inside the facility. The commander of Sde Teiman reportedly admitted this directly, telling soldiers that the site had earned the nickname “a cemetery.”
“They say Sde Teiman is being called a cemetery,” the commander allegedly said, urging soldiers to reduce the “intensity of daily torture.”
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, at least 36 Palestinian detainees have died in Sde Teiman due to alleged torture and medical neglect.
Released detainees and human rights monitors have documented a range of abuses including repeated beatings, denial of medical care for war wounds, and surgeries performed without anesthesia. The reserve soldier confirmed witnessing one such death firsthand.
“We thought he was just sitting there with a blindfold. Then we realized he was dead.”
His recollections included graphic descriptions of the filth and physical decay within the camp. “Everyone who was there knows what happened,” he stated. “Torture, starvation, and inhumane treatment were the norm.”
Despite mounting evidence and public outrage, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a petition in September calling for the closure of the facility. The Court argued that the state remained “obligated to respect the law” within the camp.
The soldier’s testimony, first reported by Haaretz, has intensified calls from human rights groups for international oversight and accountability.
As reports continue to emerge, pressure is growing on the Israeli government to address violations of international humanitarian law occurring within its detention infrastructure.
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