Israel’s female soldiers will be banned from being guards in high-security prisons after allegations of having sex with a Palestinian prisoner, reports BBC and press from Israel
Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-GvirPhoto: Ohad Zwigenberg / AP / Profimedia
The press Israeli writes that a female soldier admitted to having intimate relations with a Palestinian man accused of participating in a deadly attack on Israeli civilians.
The woman would have been in military service, mandatory for most Israelis. Women must serve in the army for at least two years, and men for 32 months.
The names of the soldier and the prisoner serving a life sentence have not been released.
The court that tried the case ordered that other details, including the location of the prison, should not be disclosed.
The Israeli press also reported that during the interrogation, the woman – who was arrested – stated that four other women had also had intimate relations with the same man.
The Palestinian detainee was transferred from his cell to a separate wing before the interrogation, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) said.
On Friday, IPS chief Katy Perry and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that female soldiers would no longer serve in high-security prisons holding Palestinian “terrorists.”
Israeli media quoted Ben-Gvir as saying that by mid-2025, “there will be no female soldiers left in the wings of high security prisons.”
There have been repeated calls for the service of female Israeli soldiers in Israeli high-security prisons to be stopped. However, they have previously been blocked due to a lack of staff to replace them.
The press also writes that the female guard is the one who allegedly established ties with the prisoner, as she is nearing the end of her mandatory military service period
The inmate allegedly had a phone inside his cell used to keep in touch with several of the female guards and exchange photos. It is not clear if the phone was provided by one of the guards.
The Palestinian detainee in question was transferred from his cell to another wing of the prison on Friday morning and will be questioned later, IPS said in a statement.
