Until recently, only a few were familiar with Force 100, the IDF unit responsible for handling unusual incidents involving the Nukhba terrorists imprisoned at the Sde Teiman base.
Then some of its members were arrested, and a group of protesters, joined by lawmakers, stormed into the bases - and everything got political, charged and toxic.
Now, five of the unit's fighters provide a rare glimpse into what they really do, what's happening inside the terrorist detention facility, and explain why they are completely in favor of an investigation.
Are they a military militia? Do they have any contact with La Familia? "This is an absolute lie," they say, and warn: "We fear that at the moment of truth, the terrorists will take advantage of our weaknesses, and slaughter the military, police officers and everyone who happens to be in the area."
In July, a Force 100 team was called to the Sde Teiman base due to an unusual incident: a Nukhba terrorist took off his clothes in front of a female guard at the facility and went on a rampage. "When we got there," says Moti (alias), a Force 100 reservist, "the terrorist was without his underwear. He shook the wire fences violently and injured himself. When he saw us, he started shouting in Arabic, cursing and masturbating next to the frightened female reservist."
And what did you do?
"We entered the detention cell. There are between 100 and 120 terrorists in each of these cells. When on duty, we are always masked, so no one can recognize us, and we carry all the necessary equipment: weapons, stun grenades, tear gas and also dogs with muzzles. The effectiveness of our entry is strong, immediately instilling fear among the terrorists. The sight of the dogs alone makes them wet their pants. So, we took control of the terrorist, took him for a security search, warning him not to repeat his act. And that's it. In the case of this female soldier, she wanted to file a complaint, but so far no testimony has been collected from her."
Oren (alias), another Force 100 reservist: "We had cases where the terrorists took the blindfolds off and made offensive gestures toward the female soldiers, such as booing, making sexually suggestive sounds, shouting 'we'll fuck you', 'we'll rape you', and these female soldiers are unable to defend themselves. We hear dreadful stories of the abuse they are going through."
"And people don't get it", adds Gideon (alias). "If it wasn't for us, the Nukhba terrorists would have surely raped soldiers - female and male - at Sde Teiman by now. Or the terrorists altogether would have risen up and hurt them, let alone kidnap and take them hostage for bargaining purposes."
Until recently, not many have heard of Force 100 and what they were really doing. But recently, the Military Police stormed the Sde Teiman base, seeking to arrest nine of the unit's soldiers. The reason: a Nukhba terrorist who was hospitalized in Soroka Medical Center was suffering from severe rectal injuries which raised serious suspicion of sodomy.
Videos of Force 100 soldiers confronting Military Police investigators surfaced on social media and gathered momentum like a snowball. Hundreds of protesters, led by right-wing lawmakers, amassed outside of Sde Teiman camp, and later broke into it.
Once they learned that the arrested soldiers were taken to the military court in Beit Lid camp, clashes erupted there also, and protesters broke into the base. In several cases, armed masked men in black shirts with the Force 100 insignia were identified, both in these clashes and other demonstrations in support of the detained soldiers.
Meanwhile, the incident has turned from a police investigation searching for facts to a political issue, but this time it is notably toxic and highly tense.
Was an act of sodomy indeed committed upon the Nukhba terrorist while imprisoned in the Sde Teiman base? Is it possible that the rectal injuries were a result of, for example, a rape inflicted on him by his fellow terrorists in the Ofer camp, before he was transferred to Sde Teiman, as claimed this week by some of the suspects' attorneys? The answer to these questions will be determined solely by the court.
In the meantime, however, other Force 100 soldiers, who are already named "military militia" by one wing of the Israeli political map and "victims of the conception army" by the other, have been completely ignored.
Before the IDF forbade them to be interviewed, we gathered five Force 100 soldiers to talk about what they really do, what it's like to serve in the Sde Teiman base, where the abominable terrorists who committed the most horrific crimes are detained, and what they think about the arrest of their comrades and the ensuing riots.
Yossi, Gideon, Moti and Moshe - all aliases - are Force 100 reservists who are here to serve the country. You can either agree with what they tell us, or not. But one thing is certain: we must hear them out. We should also pay attention to warnings they raise about what is happening at Sde Teiman.
"It is possible that without us being here," Yossi sketches a frightening scenario, "there would have been a mass escape of hundreds of Nukhba terrorists to the area that borders Gaza while taking over the fighters' weapons and equipment."
Handling extreme cases
After October 7, thousands of terrorists were captured in Israel – some belonged to the Hamas' elite Nukhba unit, some were armed terrorists from other organizations, there were also civilian looters who infiltrated Israel, and some committed horrendous crimes.
When the IDF entered the Gaza Strip, the number of terrorists increased manyfold. Despite the warnings reported to the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israel Prison Service (Shabas) was not equipped to house the overwhelming number of detainees, thus resulting in an urgent need for a military prison facility to absorb the flow of prisoners.
Sde Teiman, located a few kilometers from Be'er Sheva in southern Israel, consists of several detention sites, one of which is a Military Police base. The detention facility for captured terrorists was established in Sde Teiman already during previous wars with Hamas (Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge). So, it was only natural that Gazan terrorists in this war would be sent there, where they were to undergo investigations, sorting and placement, and then be transferred to Shabas facilities. However, Shabas prisons were overcrowded, and the temporary prison facility in Sde Teiman has become permanent for hundreds of terrorists.
The actual guarding and ongoing treatment of terrorists in Sde Teiman falls mainly on the Military Police soldiers. They are not trained to deal with dangerous terrorists, and in fact they mostly engage in patrolling between the cells.
The IDF feared - and rightly so - that extreme scenarios would develop in Sde Teiman, such as a mass escape, an uprising or the kidnapping of soldiers and taking them hostage. Even searches inside the cells could be very dangerous. That is why it was necessary to establish a special force, which would be trained for such scenarios. No one wants to see hundreds of terrorists breaking through the fence, running armed toward Be'er Sheva.
Gideon: "Our intervention is required in two extreme cases occurring inside the detention facilities: disorderly conduct – ranging from passive level to active level which involves mass escape of prisoners; and in case of terrorist incidents that involve the kidnapping of soldiers, taking them hostage for bargain purposes."
Being a prison guard is a profession; guards in Israel go through basic training of a few months. Is your training sufficient for such a sensitive job?
Yossi: "We are all fighters coming from special units, we went through tests and sorting, then intensive training for a month, and we never stop training."
Gideon: "When we accept fighters into the unit, we instruct them to use reasonable force according to the regulations and laws, explaining what is allowed and what is not."
What is allowed and what is not allowed?
Yossi: "Force 100 members know that even when terrorists are being rude or offensive – spit, curse, yell, make an obscene gesture with the middle finger - they do nothing in return, except for cases involved in a real risk, and even then, they should use reasonable force."
It's a small, intimate unit, a "family", they say, which consists of about 50 members, divided into three teams. Each team includes fighters, a medic, a dog trainer, an Arabic speaker and marksmen.
"We have among us Jews, Druze, Muslims," says Yossi. "Some of us live in Gaza border towns. Fighters come from all over the political spectrum. But we don't talk politics, we are here to serve the country. We are all even here, regardless of our ethnicity, religion, nationality."
And how do the terrorists react when they realize that they are facing Muslims and Druze from the force?
Oren: "When we approach them, they don't say a word, keeping their mouths shut."
Do you know what crimes the terrorists, or at least some of them, committed?
Gideon: "We don't know and don't want to know who they are and what they did. They are all terrorists."
Oren: "And everyone poses a great risk."
After your friends were arrested, a Force 100 fighter said, "They regularly humiliate us, tease us and celebrate that soldiers are killed." Have you also experienced that?
Oren: "The terrorists are mainly humiliating the Military Police guards, not us. They say things like: 'You will all die; October 7 will happen again'. But when we get there, and they hear the dogs from a distance they start shaking with fear."
Moti: "Some of them are holding their hands up, shaking and soiling themselves."
Oren: "The minute they hear us, they warn each other in Arabic, saying 'Al Shawish Hom Hunak,' which means 'the guards are here.'"
Moshe: "We are always masked. They can't identify us. On the other hand, there are some among the Nukhba terrorists who speak fluent Hebrew. And they tease the female soldiers and also speak rudely to us on purpose, intending to tease us."
Give me some examples of tensions, provocations or confrontations you had with the terrorists.
Oren: "There was one time when a terrorist bit me on the leg. When I wanted to take him for a search, he bit me. And when another soldier grabbed him by the handcuffs, he bit him too, on the hand."
Moshe: "Many times they try to use physical force against us. They push, try to hit us with their handcuffs. When the prisoners enter the cell they have to follow certain rules of conduct: when we come, they lower their heads, go down to the floor on bent knees, they raise their bare hands to show that they are not holding any object. So, many times a terrorist raises his hands up but makes movements with his fists, or lowers his head and then suddenly puts his hands under his chest, so it is impossible to tell if he is holding some kind of an object. Many times, when we get there they resist the search, talking to us in Arabic. They joke about our policy of containment."
Moshe: "One of the terrorists once shouted: 'I murdered and raped on October 7, and if any of you enters the cell, I will kill him as well'."
How did you react?
"We didn't respond. We are not allowed to, and besides, we are filmed 24/7 in a closed-circuit TV."
Oren: "When a team of two fighters arrives to take someone for a search, sometimes they lie on the floor, and when we pass between them, they catch our foot, trying to make us trip and fall, or they move to the middle of the floor and deliberately block the passage, or they try to resist using force."
Yossi: "The worst case I experienced was when they tried to snatch the weapon from a fighter who was next to me."
What happened there?
"One of our jobs is to display our strength, to make it clear to the Nukhba terrorists that we are in charge of the detention facility. We received information about an upcoming riot planned by the Nukhbas, and they were organizing in such a way as to create a riot. The prison commander called us. Our force went in to carry out a search, and while the search was taking place, it turned out that two of the terrorists were without handcuffs, trying to physically attack the fighters. When a search is taking place, they should always be handcuffed, stretching their arms forward. But this time they turned around with one hand freed from the handcuffs, trying to attack and snatch a weapon from one of our fighters."
How did you react?
"We have a taser and a club, and we responded immediately. We used reasonable force to pin down the terrorists. Can you imagine what would have happened here if they had managed to grab the weapon? They know how to break free from the handcuffs by using a wire. Or they would complain that the handcuffs are too tight and would get released. So, if this happens and as a result, they attack a prison guard, don't be surprised, because it can happen at any minute now."
Be honest, have you ever witnessed any kind of unnecessary maltreatment of a detained terrorist?
Moti: "This is exactly the thin line: if we respond, it will be considered a violation of the law. The people of Israel should thank us for dealing with these sub-humans, the scum of the earth. We, who engaged in wars, encountered terrorists, saw people die, our friends were killed, and these terrorists are making fun of us here. We can't react and behave as we really want to, because we are restricted."
Why do soldiers have to do this? Isn't it the job of Shabas, the police?
Gideon: "The Shabas facilities are overcrowded, which is why the IDF set up the cells here. The Military Police soldiers, such as the ones who serve here in the Nukhba facilities cannot deal with terrorists, and they don't want to, either. Regular soldiers are not trained for this job, they don't have the knowledge or the experience that we have. And it's also not the police's job at all."
'Don't say we didn't warn you'
Originally, Force 100 was an elite unit of the Military Police founded in the early 1990s as the events of the first Intifada brought overwhelming numbers of Palestinian security prisoners and detainees into the IDF prison facilities, making it necessary for the IDF prison system to maintain a special response force that would be trained to face the riots, mutiny, hostage abduction, etc.
That's why Force 100 was founded, which was generally considered the military parallel to the Shabas' Masada Unit. They go through very long and arduous training, at the end of which, as in any elite unit, the soldiers proudly wear the unit pin, with the insignia of a snake and the number 100.
"It feels like the Nukhba terrorists are provided with better conditions and rights than we do. These murderers and rapists are being taken care of. When we entered the unit, we were about 50 fighters sleeping on wet mattresses in tents with holes, rain falling on our heads, we had no beds and lacked minimal equipment. We didn't have hot water to shower, nor was there basic food available for us."
Shmuel Elbaz, former commander of Megiddo Prison when it was still used as a military detention facility, remembers well the first members of the unit who worked for him for a certain period. "I recall an incident where in the middle of the count, one of the detainees ran behind a guard with a knife he hid behind his back, trying to stab him."
And what happened?
"He was immediately stopped by Force 100. During my time, they were an integral part of my staff in prison: I have a fighter, a technician, a cook and a quartermaster. You don't start a count unless Force 100 is there with all the necessary equipment: gas canister, stun grenades, weapons, helmets, clubs and guns. This was also the feeling I had, that I could not act without them."
However, over time, the security prisoners were transferred to Shabas facilities, the demand for the unit decreased, and it was discontinued in 2006. Almost 20 years later, with the war following October 7, Sde Teiman was overcrowded with terrorists, requiring the intervention of the unit again and Force 100 was reactivated. "It started with a job ad posted on the reserve forum's website," recalls Yossi.
What were the criteria for acceptance?
Gideon: "Advanced training riflemen level 07 and up, ages ranging between 22-48, all should be reservists from combat units, with priority for special units – all of us come from special units, by the way - high physical fitness, having a desire and high motivation to contribute to the country. We are all here voluntarily. And contrary to what people might think, we are not here to have fun. There were people here who thought they were coming to watch movies and drink coffee, and they're no longer with us."
The unit's schedule is tight. They are located about a seven-minute drive from Sde Teiman and are supposed to be available 24/7, be ready to report to base immediately. In between, they go through fitness training - every morning starts with a three-mile run, for example, then they go through counterterrorism training, an Arabic course, learn riot control and shooting.
This routine is broken whenever they are urgently called to the prison facility, and it happens quite a lot.
Oren: "We are the only force that has the ability and training to enter the prison itself. For example, when we are reported that 'terrorist number so-and-so was cut by a wire fence', or 'a terrorist goes on a rampage', we go inside."
Gideon: "The force, at the request of the facility commander, also performs proactive searches, usually intended for a specific terrorist."
Give me an example of objects you find in these searches.
Oren: "We found steel, screws, pieces that they take apart from the showers, or pieces of thin plastic, which they sharpen to be used as weapons."
"I immediately approached the masked officers who were holding our fighters and asked them what this was all about, requesting them to identify themselves immediately or else we would have to use reasonable force against them to prevent this despicable incident."
Moshe: "We also find thin pipes that they make from the wire fence they dismantle, transforming them into weapons, or steel with which they cut their own handcuffs or create some kind of spikes."
Are you telling me that the fence there can be dismantled so easily?
Oren: "The fear is that several terrorists may move the fence, and within a second they will break out."
Gideon: "The facilities in Sde Teiman do not meet any tactical or strategic standards. "We fear that at the moment of truth, the terrorists will take advantage of our weaknesses, and slaughter the Military Police officers and everyone who happens to be in the area. And if they have not done it until today, it is only thanks to Force 100 and our deterrence. They have a lot of time to think, plan and implement, and it's not a question of if, but of when. Everyone there has blood on their hands, they are well-trained terrorists who have undergone grueling training in the terrorist organizations specifically to perform these kinds of missions. So don't say we didn't warn you."
Yossi: "Having said that, it feels like the Nukhba terrorists are provided with better conditions and rights than we do. These murderers and rapists are being taken care of. When we entered the unit, we were about 50 fighters sleeping on wet mattresses in tents with holes, rain falling on our heads, we had no beds, and lacked minimal equipment. We didn't have hot water to shower, nor was there basic food available for us. Whereas the Nukhba terrorists received fresh food regularly, including a variety of vegetables and fruits, dairy products and tuna fish. We had no choice but to take food from their supply."
To that extent?
"Yes. I personally took a box of apples, because we had nothing to eat."
'Military Police could have acted more pleasant'
A few weeks ago, the tables have turned in Sde Teiman, when Military police officers and investigators entered the base to arrest nine fighters of Force 100.
Yossi: "There is no doubt that they entered in a violent, outgoing manner, wearing masks as if they were going to arrest Nukhba terrorists and not their fellow soldiers. They could have acted more pleasant and done their job. It was all an unnecessary act that created this entire chaos."
What happened there?
"The guys were at a range in the morning. At 11 a.m., the substitute base commander asked the team commander and a number of fighters to report to his office for an urgent conversation. He didn't say why. They arrived there and waited, and then about 30 Military Police officers entered the office without any identification mark, wearing COVID face masks, some of them wearing black t-shirts, and there a conversation was held with them."
Where were you at that time?
"We were with the company, and at about 12:30, the guys from our force suddenly shouted to us: 'There are people here in civilian clothes with masks who are holding our soldiers.' We went out immediately. I didn’t know who they were and had no idea that this was an arrest. The detained soldiers were also forbidden to speak.
"I immediately approached the masked officers who were holding our fighters and asked them what this was all about, requesting them to identify themselves immediately or else we would have to use reasonable force against them to prevent this despicable incident. We did not know that they had already taken three detained soldiers directly from the office, and returned here with the other six so they could take some stuff they needed for the arrest. They didn't tell us anything."
Oren: "I was in the bathroom and one of the detained soldiers entered, accompanied by two Military Police investigators. Standing in the stall next to me he told me: 'Bro, we are taken into custody, inform our commander.' At first, I thought he was joking, but when I came out I saw that everyone was taken. We were in shock."
Yossi: "They were not handcuffed, so we quickly took the six soldiers back to the company, telling the police that they were not going anywhere until a commanding authoritative officer would explain to us what was going on."
And how did it all leak out?
"One of the fighters uploaded a video, and as soon as it was posted, it hit the headlines and got out of control. One of the Military Police officers was holding a gun in one hand and our comrade in the other, I quickly took control of the gun, and he sprayed us with pepper spray."
Gideon: "Discussions were held with them until the base commander arrived, and a negotiation team arrived, as well as a lieutenant colonel from the Military Police who explained what was happening."
Yossi: "We asked them, 'Why didn't you identify yourselves pleasantly? Why barging in like that? Now, after introducing yourselves, explaining that our soldiers are detained for questioning, we are willing to cooperate, but don't treat us as if we were one of the Nukhba terrorists.' We told them that if they had spoken to us clearly and respectfully, we would have brought our friends to Beit Lid base ourselves. We said, 'We will bring them out pleasantly and put them in your vehicles, even though we don't know why you are arresting them, and what the suspicions held against them.'"
The IDF claims that they did not act violently, and that the pepper spray was not sprayed by Military Police personnel. They also claimed that the masks were used due to threats that Military Police officers have been receiving recently on social media. Meanwhile, a scandal erupted, and MK Zvi Succot and Minister Amichai Eliyahu broke into the base. Aroused citizens entered the base along with them.
What did you think of the violent breaking into the base?
Gideon: "All that happened this entire day was unexpected. We didn't understand how they got there. We are not in favor of penetrating the bases, we are against violent behavior, and this should not have been blown out of proportion. There are laws in this country, and we are law-abiding citizens."
And what about the breaking into Beit Lid base?
Yossi: "It was unacceptable, but it's not us either. These are civilians and lawmakers who first raided Sde Teiman and then continued to Beit Lid."
The incident drew reactions; right-wing members denounced the event, and the Prime Minister's Office tried to calm things down. MK Yair Golan posted, for example: "Today we were exposed to the existence of armed militias that act to threaten sovereign bodies, including an explicit threat to IDF soldiers and officers. I demand that the Shin Bet open an investigation against Force 100 and other militias. It must be examined who armed them, who gives them instructions and whether the national security minister and other government officials are connected to them."
Tell me, are you a militia?
Yossi: "We are not a militia, not phalanxes and not a Syrian commando. We are IDF reservists, salt of the earth. Some of us live in the Gaza surrounding communities; we are veterans of combat units who came to serve the country, and we feel ashamed of such defamation. How dare he call us an 'armed militia'? Our force's soldiers don't break into bases, don't break down gates, and don't call for a violent protest against IDF soldiers."
Why do you think it became a political issue? Right-wing lawmakers broke into the base, left-wing members immediately condemned it.
Moti: "Obviously there were those who tried to take advantage of this event, also politically. We are soldiers who serve in the Israeli army, we have fighters from all over the political spectrum: right and left, Jews, Muslims and Druze. We follow orders and anyone who tells us otherwise is doing us an injustice."
Armed masked men wearing the unit's shirts also appeared in the riots occurring outside the base, in Beit Lid base as well, and took pictures with right-wing MKs Limor Son Har-Melech and Tally Gotliv.
"They came to sympathize with the detained soldiers, to support us. And as for fighters' taking pictures with them, is it considered a crime?"
According to IDF orders, a soldier in uniform cannot take part in a protest or demonstration.
"We want to express solidarity with our friends. It is our right to come and support them. Everything is done according to the laws of the State of Israel."
Oren: "When there was a riot in Beit Lid base we went there, but we sat aside. We didn't take part in the demonstration."
Gideon: "We respect and love everyone who came to support us, but we don't support breaking into bases or harming soldiers. We didn't mean to turn it into a political issue."
Moshe: "But the Military Police investigators should have taken into account that raiding a base and arresting nine fighters, would generate a buzz."
Later, there were also claims that they were seen masked and wearing Force 100 shirts in demonstrations taking place in Tel Aviv, alongside far-right La Familia activists. The mere fact that someone wears a shirt with the insignia of Force 100 does not necessarily mean that he serves in the unit.
But David Mizrahi, a former senior member of La Familia and now a lecturer and an educator, is concerned: "They (La Familia) are stirring up the area. They instruct their members and soldiers to go demonstrate whenever there is a political disagreement among citizens. Some of them are fighters in elite units in the IDF, and some serve in Force 100. Even if they are not the majority there, I see them as a stirring factor acting against the demonstrators in Tel Aviv, or against hostage families protest, and that saddens me."
Yossi, do you or any of the fighters here know about unit members who take part in La Familia demonstrations?
Yossi: "This is a total lie! They've got nothing to do with us. La Familia members go everywhere they see a dispute. We are reservists, we are all leading a normal life, have families and children, have businesses, we don't have criminal records, we do not belong to any organization. We are not responsible for citizens who attend demonstrations, and we condemn any activity that involves a violation of the law. We have never participated in an activity against the protests in Tel Aviv, nor against any other protests. However, we do support our friends, like anyone who would support their friends who were arrested in what we consider to be unfair and unjust. And what's worse here is that they were sentenced even before indictments were filed against them."
There is no doubt that the Nukhba terrorists are monsters, war criminals of the most despicable kind. But right now, they are prisoners, and Israel is a country governed by the rule of law. If there is a suspicion that a terrorist has been sexually abused, shouldn't the IDF investigate it?
Yossi: "Of course they should, who said anything otherwise?"
Moti: "We are in a country of law, and we abide by the law. We are also recorded by cameras 24/7. And if such an incident happens, it's really puzzling, but it's clear that it should be investigated."
So, what was the problem? What was all this confrontation about?
Yossi: "It wasn't about the actual arrest, but about the way we were treated, the way they handled the arrest, about the provocation they used against us. That's what drove us crazy. Masked people broke in, demonstratively, without identifying themselves, as if they came to arrest Nukhba terrorists rather than soldiers."
Moti: "Does a brutal terrorist, a war criminal, deserve to be provided with more rights than IDF soldiers? Why are they being considerate of these terrorists - and not of us? "
And if they find evidence and your friends are ordered to stand trial, will you respect the court and its decisions?
Gideon: "We abide by the law and will respect every decision and whatever the court determines."
What is your message to the chief military advocate?
Yossi: "This tumultuous event crossed a red line both for us and for all the IDF soldiers who are fighting now. It is easy to criticize soldiers who have been performing their duties assigned to them by the country since October 7, while leaving behind their families, businesses and work. But the chief military advocate should first check the circumstances under which these soldiers are operating, see who they are facing and what dangers they are confronting. And most importantly, she should make sure to back us up."
In her opinion, she protects both you and Israel from The Hague.
"When the hands of the fighters are tied and they are afraid to perform certain tasks, it might cost the lives of the prison guards there. I would tell her: 'I ask you to get out of your air-conditioned office and go down to the field; and just as you take care of the rights of the abominable terrorists, start taking care of the rights of the ones who protect you, among others, from them'."
How should this matter end?
Moti: "In the acquittal of all the fighters."
And if this doesn't happen?
"We will be hurt, we will be sorry, but we will respect the decision of the court."
And what will happen if, following the events, your unit is broken up?
Gideon: "This unit must continue, otherwise there will be a day when you will be informed that there has been a massacre of military policemen in the Nukhba cells in Sde Teiman."
'Patriots who volunteered for the mission'
Since their arrest, Force 100 has been accompanied by the senior criminal advocate Ephraim Dimri, who provides them legal counsel pro bono and has also represented some of the suspects in military court.
"Force 100 consists of patriotic soldiers, veterans of combat units who have been volunteering since October 7, and they deserve full support, not the other way around", he asserts. "It is very unfortunate that our fighters were lynched by the media worldwide, hence causing serious damage to the image of the IDF and to the resilience of the fighters before their version became clear in court.
"Until now, we have managed to release four of the nine fighters without any restrictive conditions, after we proved to the Military Advocate General that there were essential flaws in the suspicions cast on them, and there were also problems in the evidence presented. I believe that we will be able to refute all the claims of the military advocate general and prove the innocence of the fighters."
IDF: 'Masks used due to threats against military police officers'
The IDF said in response: "The national responsibility for incarcerating security detainees is under the prison service. In light of the large ratio of terror suspects captured, and the overcrowding in Israeli prisons, made it necessary for the IDF to maintain a force to support the operational needs of the State of Israel. It was also necessary to ensure the security and safety of the soldiers. The IDF acts to maintain the safety and well-being of those serving in the detention facility and condemns sexual harassment of any kind. The female soldiers are provided with the support of the gender affairs advisor. Any unusual event that was reported, was handled.
"The allegation of aggression committed by the Military Police and Military Police criminal investigators is groundless. They act by virtue of their position according to the law, and they asked to detain the suspects in accordance with their authority. The detention and arrest procedures are done after full identification while talking to the soldiers and the commanders, providing appropriate and respectful treatment. It should be emphasized that some of those present at the site attacked the military policemen. Wearing of masks was due to threats against Military Police officers on social networks; the matter was examined, and the necessary lessons were drawn.
"The detention facility at Sde Teiman base has been used to incarcerate detainees since the beginning of the war. After its immediate establishment, a long-term budget was allocated to improve the conditions of the facility's employees. At no point was there a shortage of food that led to the use of the terrorists' food. The security conditions at this facility are strict, and at the same time, extensive infrastructure works are being carried out to improve the security infrastructure at the facility."