Chaos erupts at IDF base as right-wing MKs join mob protesting arrests of 9 soldiers accused of abusing Hamas detainee

Netanyahu, Herzog and IDF chief call for calm while right-wing leaders are outraged over arrests

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Tumultuous scenes erupted on Monday afternoon at the IDF Sde Teiman base in southern Israel, after a mob, including several Knesset members, stormed the gates to protest the arrest of nine IDF soldiers suspected of maltreating a captured Hamas terrorist.

Following reports of the arrests, as well as unrest that erupted between IDF military police officers and reserve soldiers stationed at the detainment facility, dozens of protesters descended on the base.

Several people, including Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party and Knesset Member Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party, were filmed breaking into the base.

Army Radio reported that the Likud party's Nissim Vaturi, also a member of the Knesset, entered the base, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir joined the protest later.

גם ח"כ צבי סוכות פרץ לתוך בסיס שדה תימן@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/gErU0wyP4u
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 29, 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly published a statement urging “immediate calm at Sde Teiman” and said he "strongly condemns the breaking into an IDF base.”

“The incident of breaking into the Sde Teiman base is extremely serious and against the law,” stated IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.

“Breaking into a military base and disturbing the order there is serious behavior that is not acceptable in any way. We are at war, and actions of this kind endanger the security of the country,” he said, adding that he supported the IDF’s investigations of suspected abuse which “preserve the values of the IDF.”

The disturbance began when military police officers appeared at the base, wearing masks, and attempted to detain nine soldiers suspected of abusing a prisoner who was arrested by the IDF in the Gaza Strip several weeks ago, according to The Times of Israel.

Sde Teiman is one of three detention facilities where prisoners from Gaza are being held by the IDF before being transferred to the Israel Prison Service (IPS). Following allegations of abuse and a High Court petition, the state announced that the army had begun phasing out the use of the Sde Teiman’s base.

The prisoner who was allegedly abused was found three weeks ago in critical condition with severe wounds and was taken to hospital, where he remains in a non-life-threatening condition.

After military police officers were confronted by soldiers stationed at the base who refused to cooperate, footage of the disputes was posted online, causing a mob to form at the entrance of the base to protest the arrests.

Many politicians posted statements in support of the soldiers, including Ben Gvir, who wrote: “The spectacle of military police officers coming to arrest the best of our heroes in Sde Teiman is nothing less than shameful… Fighters should receive full support.”

Yuli Edelstein, a veteran Likud lawmaker said he would set an emergency meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, adding: “Our soldiers are not criminals and this despicable persecution of our fighters is unacceptable to me.”

The tumultuous protest in Sde Teiman continued even after the military police detained the nine suspects and transferred them to the Beit Lid base in central Israel.

מפגינים חוסמים את הכניסה ויציאה ממחנה בית ליד, לשם הועברו החיילים משדה תימן שעוכבו לחקירת מצ"ח. המשטרה במקום@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/ecgRI2m3iW
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 29, 2024

Shortly after, another protest erupted at the entrance to the Beit Lid base, which was joined by Likud MK Tally Gotliv.

In a rare move, the IDF later severely criticized the Israel Police for not acting quickly enough to contain the protests.

“Members of Knesset and ministers managed to arrive from Jerusalem and already managed to break into the base, it's strange how long it takes a police car to get there,” a military official told Army Radio.

In a statement, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commended the Israeli troops for conducting “complex and important missions in the prison service, as those relate to the imprisonment of Hamas terrorists.”

However, Gallant added: “We must enable professional authorities to carry out the necessary assessments while ensuring the dignity and respect of our soldiers. Even in difficult times, the law applies to everyone – nobody may trespass into IDF bases or violate the laws of the State of Israel.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog demanded that elected officials show leadership and take action to calm the heated situation.

“Breaking into a military base by civilians, and certainly when it is done with the encouragement and involvement of elected officials, is a serious, dangerous, illegal and irresponsible act, which first and foremost harms us as a people and as a country,” Herzog stated.