Israeli soldier accused of smearing faeces on Palestinian detainee’s face - Middle East Eye

An Israeli soldier has been accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee at a military outpost in the occupied West Bank, including beating him, urinating on him and smearing faeces on his face.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the abuse took place last month at the Jalameh military outpost, after Israeli soldiers arrested a Palestinian man at a nearby crossing.

The soldiers reportedly found a small knife in his car. The Palestinian was later released without charge.

The soldiers initially transferred him to the outpost handcuffed and blindfolded, where military police investigators suspect one of them began abusing him.

An investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division was launched following complaints from other soldiers.

Investigators suspect the soldier beat the Palestinian and extinguished a cigarette on his body, leaving him injured.

The alleged abuse did not end there. According to the investigation, the soldier urinated on the detainee before smearing his own faeces on the man's face and urging him to eat it.

Three soldiers were initially questioned, but two were later released, leaving one suspect in custody, Channel 12 reported.

The soldier, who serves in Israel’s Paratroopers Brigade, has been detained for several weeks as military police prepare an indictment, which is expected to be filed in the coming days.

He admitted beating the Palestinian man but denied the other allegations.

His lawyer, Yossi Boker, described him as “a highly motivated combat fighter and a quality young man”, adding: “There is no evidence in the case. We trust the court, and ultimately the truth will come out.”

According to Israeli news website Ynet, the soldier maintains his innocence and has called on military police to investigate other soldiers over the alleged abuse.

Investigators, however, believe the evidence against him is credible. They say his account is inconsistent and contradicts testimony from other soldiers stationed at the outpost.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to Channel 12 that the investigation was ongoing, adding that “the military court extended the soldier’s detention” to allow for “a hearing before an indictment is filed”. 

The case comes amid longstanding criticism of Israel's handling of allegations of abuse by its soldiers against Palestinians.

According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, 2,427 complaints were filed against Israeli soldiers between 2016 and 2024. Investigations were opened in just 22.7 per cent of cases, while indictments were filed in only 0.9 per cent.

The group has described Israeli soldiers as enjoying “broad impunity” for violence against Palestinians.

During the genocide in Gaza, Israeli soldiers and other security personnel have also faced accusations of widespread torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees, including degrading treatment and sexual violence.

A UN report on conflict-related sexual violence found that at least 31 Palestinians were sexually assaulted by Israeli security personnel between 2023 and 2025. The reported abuses included rape, shootings targeting the genitals, forced stripping and other crimes.

The UN warned that Israel’s decision earlier this year to drop charges against soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian detainee “risk[s] reinforcing a climate of impunity that may enable the commission of conflict-related sexual violence”.