The Israeli army has taken disciplinary action against five soldiers over an incident in which a Palestinian detainee was tied to a military bed at a position in northern Gaza and photographed, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
The measures followed a command investigation into the incident, which took place in June. The army said the treatment of the detainee, as well as photographing and publishing the image, was inconsistent with its values and orders.
According to the investigation, the Palestinian approached an Israeli military position on foot and was detained by soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. He was taken to a military shelter, where he was restrained with a rope, his hands were bound and his eyes covered.
A photograph of the detainee, lying restrained on a military bed with a pole attached to his back, circulated widely online at the end of June. The Israeli military initially said it was investigating the image and later confirmed that the incident had been located.
The army said the detainee had been behaving in an agitated manner after his detention, raising concerns that he might harm himself. The investigation nevertheless concluded that restraining him to the bed in that manner was contrary to military instructions. Photographing and distributing the image were also found to be improper.
Kan reported that the commander of the company lost a planned promotion, while his deputy received a reprimand. The soldier who restrained the Palestinian was sentenced to five days in military detention and removed from combat duties. The soldier who photographed the detainee received the same five-day sentence.
Another soldier who was present during the incident was ordered to remain on the military base for two weeks. Disciplinary proceedings against two additional soldiers from outside the Netzah Yehuda Battalion were still continuing, according to Kan.
The incident took place at a military position in Beit Hanoun, according to an earlier Kan report on the army's investigation. The report said the position was being used by reserve troops and that the investigation examined both the conduct of the soldiers and their accounts of what happened afterwards.
The episode is not the first controversy involving the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. The unit has previously faced investigations and disciplinary measures over the treatment of Palestinian detainees. In the case of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad, who died after being detained by soldiers from the battalion in the occupied West Bank in January 2022, the Israeli military concluded that the force had failed to properly assess his condition.
Human rights organisations have separately documented allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. Human Rights Watch has reported allegations of arbitrary detention and torture of Palestinians, while stressing the need for accountability for violations.
The Israeli army has said the conduct uncovered in the latest investigation did not meet its standards. The disciplinary measures announced by the army concern the soldiers involved, while proceedings against two others remain unresolved.