Police today (Friday) dismissed allegations of failures in the investigation into the mass brawl that took place at Soroka Hospital. As you may recall, News 12 reported last night that the 16 suspects involved in the brawl were released, after it became clear in court that investigators did not have time to go through all the videos from the security cameras even though they had five days at their disposal.
Police say “police investigators worked to gather evidence pointing to those involved in the brawl. Since the quality of the footage collected from the cameras was insufficient, the investigators sought an extension of time from the court and the very decision to release under restrictive conditions indicates suspicion of involvement in the acts.”
It was further alleged that “the very release as ordered by the court does not indicate the end of the investigation. This is an incident of severe violence in a public area with a large number of people involved and the police will continue to use all means at their disposal to reach all involved.”
MK Shlomo Krai Referring to the release of the detainees, he wrote on his Twitter account: “The court is releasing violent rioters and does not give the police time to complete the investigation. Root treatment must be carried out for elements in this detached system who are not committed to fighting crime.”
My prediction from Monday this week in the discussion in the Constitution Committee in the presence of the Minister of Justice came true earlier than expected … All the detainees were released in just 4 days!
Bottom line, the court releases violent rioters and does not give police time to complete the investigation.
Root can be treated for those in this detached system who are not committed to fighting crime. pic.twitter.com/L29wisa26i
– Shlomo Karhi – Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) November 18, 2021
As you may recall, the brawl that broke out in the vicinity of the hospital in Be’er Sheva led to its temporary closure until the police forces arrived at the scene. During the brawl, gunshots were also heard, but there were no reports of injuries from gunfire brought to the scene, but the hospital said that two people were evacuated from the trauma room by stab wounds.
A police source said: “This is impudence bordering on the cheapness of human life. The hospital area which is supposed to be free for the arrival of sick and injured in emergencies has become a real battlefield with a stone-throwing battle at real risk to human life.”
Dr. Shlomi Kodesh, director of Soroka Medical Center, said: “We condemn and are concerned about the discovery of this severe violence that occurred in the medical center. This is a crossing of a red line and we demand that vigorous actions be taken to maintain peace on the hospital island and staff.”
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