Israeli female soldiers banned from prison guard duty after alleged sex with Palestinian inmates

Israeli female soldiers will no longer be allowed to serve as guards in high-security prisons after allegations surfaced of sexual involvement with Palestinian inmates, media reports said. The latestincident involved a female soldier who reportedly confessed to engaging in physical intimacy with a Palestinian man. The man is purportedly responsible for a deadly attack on Israeli civilians. The identities of the soldier and the Palestinian inmate serving a life sentence have not been disclosed. The court overseeing the case has also issued orders to withhold additional details, including the location of the prison in question.

Allegations of multiple female involvement

During questioning, the arrested Israeli soldier claimed that four other women had also engaged in intimate relations with the same Palestinian man.

The inmate was subsequently transferred to a separate wing within the prison for further investigation, as stated by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).

Katy Perry, the head of the IPS, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir jointly announced that female soldiers would no longer be assigned to guard high-security prisons housing Palestinian "terrorists."

The cessation of female IDF soldiers' service in security prisons has faced consistent advocacy, including from Ben Gvir. Yet, the move has encountered delays due to the challenge of finding suitable personnel to replace the female soldiers.

According to Israeli media, Ben-Gvir asserted that by mid-2025, "not a single female soldier will remain in the security prisoners' wings."

On Thursday (September 28), the accused female soldier was placed under house arrest. The five soldiers are reportedly approaching the conclusion of their compulsory service.

The guard's attorney contended that the inmate coerced his client into an involuntary relationship. However, Times of Israel while quoting a high-ranking police official who spoke with Ynet said that the evidence pointed in a different direction.

Perry termed the incident “severe" and said that IPS is ready to “take all necessary steps and have zero tolerance for instances of [violating] moral values.”

Meanwhile, Ben Gvir said, “Immediately after I began my role, I insisted on this, and since then took significant steps on the matter, and the presence of female soldiers in [prison] wings has been reduced."

Earlier scandal

This latest development follows a scandal at one prison last year, wherein Palestinian convicts were accused of sexually assaulting and raping female soldiers serving as prison guards.Certain prison guards were alleged to have "pimped out" conscripts by offering them to inmates as a means of appeasement.In Israel, military service is compulsory for most of its citizens.

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