Protesters interrupted an Israeli Supreme Court hearing

Protesters interrupted an Israeli Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday regarding a secretive military facility where Israel has detained Palestinian prisoners during the Gaza conflict.

As the attorney representing several Israeli human rights groups argued for the permanent closure of the Sde Teiman facility due to ongoing allegations of detainee abuse, the protesters shouted “Shame!” Investigations by the Associated Press and other rights organizations have revealed that detainees endured appalling conditions at the facility.

On July 29, the Israeli military announced that it had detained nine soldiers for questioning following accusations of “substantial abuse” of a detainee at Sde Teiman, located in southern Israel. The arrests sparked outrage from right-wing government officials, and several hundred protesters gathered at the military base where the soldiers were held, calling the arrests an insult to their service.

On Tuesday night, Israel’s Channel 12 broadcast what it claimed was security camera footage from Sde Teiman, showing soldiers moving a detainee to the side of a large hall, where other detainees were lying on the floor with their hands over their heads. In another angle, the soldiers appeared to be huddling and lifting protective shields, seemingly to obscure the detainee from view. Channel 12 reported that the video is part of the investigation into alleged sexual assault.

While the military has generally denied mistreating Palestinian detainees, a United Nations human rights office report accused Israel of abusing Palestinian prisoners. In response to these allegations, Israel stated it was relocating most Palestinian detainees out of Sde Teiman and upgrading the facility. Testimony during the hearing revealed that approximately 30 Palestinians are currently held at Sde Teiman each day.