Israel's State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment Tuesday at the Beersheba District Court against 12 employees of the Israel Prison Service (known in Hebrew as "Shabas"), charging them with manslaughter in the death of security prisoner Taar Abu Asab, along with assault charges related to eight other inmates at Ketziot Prison.
According to the indictment filed by attorney Tal Cohen Adir from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, one of the defendants served as shift commander at the facility where the prisoners were held in November 2023. The remaining defendants worked as prison guards, members of the "Keter" special unit, and a canine handler.
The indictment describes events that began on the afternoon of November 18, 2023, when Abu Asab asked a shift sergeant whether there was a "hudna", a ceasefire or truce, in the ongoing war. This question was relayed to the shift commander, who before the evening headcount briefed his team about the prisoner's inquiry.
Prosecutors allege the shift commander instructed his team to enter the cell during the count in an unusual departure from protocol, with the stated purpose of demonstrating to the prisoners that no ceasefire existed. The commander allegedly made clear he would take "responsibility for whatever happens" and warned female guards present at the briefing not to enter the cell to avoid being harmed.
The shift commander then led the team to the cell housing Abu Asab and nine other prisoners. After the count began, prosecutors say, he ordered the defendants into the cell, where they allegedly coordinated to beat and injure the inmates. The prisoners were attacked with punches and kicks, and some defendants also used batons, according to the charges.
The shift commander allegedly supervised the assault and personally struck at least one prisoner. After several minutes, he ordered the team to stop, and the defendants left the cell without any of them reporting the attack or any unusual incident during the count.
Shortly afterward, Abu Asab collapsed and lost consciousness. He was evacuated to the prison clinic and then to Soroka Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The indictment states his death resulted from the beating, which caused severe damage to his heart and respiratory system. The eight other prisoners also sustained injuries.
The indictment includes additional charges of obstruction of justice against the shift commander and shift sergeant. According to prosecutors, the shift sergeant instructed one of the guards to lie during questioning about the use of batons. The shift commander is accused of asking another guard, after his own interrogation, to contact a female guard who had not yet been questioned and coordinate her testimony with the defendants' versions. The female guard initially provided a false account but later admitted she had lied and gave her actual version of events.
All 12 defendants face charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault under aggravating circumstances, and multiple counts of assault causing actual bodily harm under aggravating circumstances. The shift commander and shift sergeant face the additional charge of obstruction of justice.
