IDF Announces Criminal Investigation Over Sde Teman Video

In a dramatic escalation of one of Israel's most divisive military scandals, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has initiated a criminal investigation into a recently released video from the controversial Sde Teiman detention facility.

The probe focuses on potential involvement by personnel in the Military Prosecutor’s Office (MPO), with suspicions centering on the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive footage.

At the same time, IDF Chief of Staff has approved the military prosecutor's request for leave pending clarification of the facts.

This development comes nearly 15 months after the initial abuses at Sde Teiman first surfaced, highlighting how the facility continues to roil Israel's military and political landscape.

The investigation is tied to a leaked clip allegedly showing detainee mistreatment, echoing earlier controversies that led to arrests, riots, and indictments. The MPO's potential role raises questions about internal sabotage or overreach, as the office has been a lightning rod for criticism from right-wing politicians who accuse it of being too aggressive in pursuing soldiers while "soft" on Palestinian detainees.

Background: The Sde Teiman Saga – From Emergency Prison to National Flashpoint

Sde Teiman, a remote IDF base in Israel's Negev Desert near Beersheba, was hastily converted into a high-security detention center in late October 2023, just weeks after Hamas's devastating October 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and sparked the ongoing Gaza war. Designed to hold "unlawful combatants," a legal category for suspected militants not entitled to POW status under the Geneva Conventions, it became the primary site for interrogating and detaining hundreds of Gaza Palestinians captured during IDF raids.

At its peak, it housed over 1,000 detainees, under harsh conditions exacerbated by overcrowding and wartime strain.The facility's troubles erupted publicly in April 2024 when CNN aired leaked photos of emaciated prisoners.

A May 2024 UN report accused Israel of "torture as a policy," while Israeli NGOs petitioned the High Court of Justice to shutter the site, citing violations of international law. The IDF's Military Advocate General (MAG), Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, responded swiftly, announcing 70 Military Police investigations into war-related allegations, including Sde Teiman abuses.

By June 2024, amid court pressure, the IDF began phasing out the facility, transferring most detainees to permanent prisons like Ofer and Ketziot, leaving only a skeleton crew.

Yet the scandals persisted: In February 2025, five reservist guards were indicted for "aggravated abuse" after a video surfaced showing them assaulting a Nukhba (Hamas elite) terrorist, including sodomy, charges initially floated but later downgraded from sexual assault.

The July 29, 2024, arrests of those reservists, conducted by masked Military Police in a dramatic raid, ignited a firestorm. Far-right protesters, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Knesset Members Nissim Vaturi (Likud) and Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism), stormed the base in a breach condemned as "endangering national security."

A similar mob hit the Beit Lid military court the same day. The uproar exposed deep rifts: Right-wing coalition figures decried the MPO as a "deep state" witch hunt, accusing it of soliciting testimony from released Hamas detainees (a claim later confirmed in leaked Knesset briefings).

Tomer-Yerushalmi defended the probes as upholding "Israel as a state of law," amid international scrutiny from the ICC and ICJ.

The IDF's Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) is now examining whether MPO staff leaked or mishandled the footage, potentially violating security protocols during wartime.

Critics, including Sukkot, accuse the office of demonizing troops without evidence, especially shocking during wartime.

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