Israeli probe on torture of Gazan prisoner irks Israel's far right

Jerusalem: Israeli military probing the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at a notorious military camp for Gazan prisoners has irked some Israeli far-right members, The Guardian reported.

A group of Israel's far right, including a coalition of extreme-right members of parliament and their supporters, attempted to storm the military camp in protest.

On Monday, the Israeli military informed that the office of Israel's advocate general has ordered an inquiry into the abuse at the Sde Teiman facility, where Palestinian resistance group Hamas members are lodged after being captured.

As per the army's radio, military police arrived at the facility to probe ten reserved Israeli Defence Force soldiers for their alleged abuse of the prisoner, who has been classified as an "illegal combatant".

The radio said that the alleged abuse happened three weeks ago, and the detainee was found in serious condition and in need of hospitalization. He was transferred to a nearby hospital and was subjected to surgery.

However, the arrival of military police to the base ended up in an angry confrontation with the IDF soldiers. A group of Israel's far right, including a coalition of extreme-right members of parliament and their supporters, attempted to storm the military facility in protest. The protesters also caused chaos at a second base, where the military police questioned soldiers later on Monday.

Though Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for peace among citizens, he said that hatred towards some of those accused of terrorist acts is understandable and justified.

Israel Minister of Justice Yariv Lenin said that he was shocked to see pictures of soldiers being arrested at Sde Teiman. They were arrested as if they were dangerous criminals, he claimed and added that it is impossible to accept the same.

A recent report by the UN Palestinian Affairs agency, UNRWA, details the modes of torture in Israeli camps where captured Palestinians are lodged. Detainees were beaten up and made to lie on thin mattresses on top of rubble for hours without food, water or access to a toilet. Their legs and hands were tied with plastic ties. In some incidents, they were forced into cages and dogs set on them to attack. They were made to act like animals, urinate on them, deprived of food, sleep, toilets, etc. They were prohibited from praying, too. Prolonged use of tightly locked handcuffs results in open wounds and friction injuries, the UNRWA report state