Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned after admitting she authorized the leak of surveillance footage showing alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman prison. She briefly disappeared after leaving a note and abandoning her car, was found on a Tel Aviv beach and is now detained on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice. The footage dates to July 5, 2024, and reportedly shows a violent assault that required surgery for the detainee; the case has further inflamed political polarization in Israel. Investigations continue into the alleged abuse, a subsequent break-in at the detention center, and the circumstances of the leak.
Top Israeli Military Lawyer Resigns, Disappears, Found on Beach and Detained After Leaking Prison Abuse Video
Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned after admitting she authorized the leak of surveillance footage showing alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman prison. She briefly disappeared after leaving a note and abandoning her car, was found on a Tel Aviv beach and is now detained on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice. The footage dates to July 5, 2024, and reportedly shows a violent assault that required surgery for the detainee; the case has further inflamed political polarization in Israel. Investigations continue into the alleged abuse, a subsequent break-in at the detention center, and the circumstances of the leak.
03:58, 04.11.2025Politics
Israel rocked by scandal as top military lawyer jailed after leak and disappearance
JERUSALEM — Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, once the Israel Defense Forces’ chief legal officer, is now in custody after a dramatic chain of events that began with her abrupt resignation, included a brief disappearance that triggered a large-scale search, and ended with her being found on a Tel Aviv beach and detained.
The controversy began when Tomer-Yerushalmi acknowledged authorizing the leak of surveillance footage tied to a politically charged investigation into allegations of severe abuse at the Sde Teiman military prison. The clip, which has circulated on Israeli news outlets, appears to show soldiers leading a detainee behind riot shields and committing a violent assault; the indictment alleges the detainee was sexually assaulted with a knife and suffered multiple injuries.
Why the footage matters
According to the indictment and medical sources, the assault took place on July 5, 2024. A medical professional who spoke on condition of anonymity said the detainee arrived at a civilian hospital in life-threatening condition with blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen, fractured ribs, and a perforated rectum that required surgery. The detainee was later returned to Sde Teiman and was released to Gaza last month as part of a prisoner exchange, military prosecutor documents obtained by the AP show.
From leak to resignation to accusations
Tomer-Yerushalmi says she authorized the leak last year to expose the gravity of the abuse allegations being investigated by her office. Her stated motive was to counter a narrative that the military was unfairly protecting its own personnel — a narrative she warned could endanger military law enforcement, particularly after hundreds of protesters forced their way into a detention center where suspects were held.
Instead of public vindication, the leak ignited fierce criticism from hard-line politicians and commentators. After a period of mounting pressure she resigned. Following her resignation she left a brief, unexplained note for family members, abandoned her car near a beach and disappeared briefly, prompting an intensive search that involved military drones. She was found alive on Sunday night and taken into custody.
“We can resume the lynch,” posted right-wing TV host Yinon Magal on X, illustrating the vitriolic response from some quarters.
When one of Tomer-Yerushalmi's mobile phones could not be located, critics accused her of staging the disappearance to destroy evidence. On Monday, a judge ordered an extension of her detention through Wednesday on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice. Israeli media also reported that former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was arrested in connection with the inquiry; the prime minister’s office declined to comment.
Multiple legal threads and deepening polarization
Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, outlined three separate legal questions investigators must untangle: whether soldiers abused detainees while in custody; whether civilians, including lawmakers, obstructed the investigation by breaking into the detention facility; and whether Tomer-Yerushalmi committed offenses intended to undermine the leak probe.
The episode has intensified public focus on the leak and its political fallout, arguably sidelining sustained attention on the underlying abuse allegations. Commentators have noted the affair echoes the intense polarization that gripped Israel before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and the debate over judicial overhaul — and some worry the rancor could return to levels seen during previous periods of violent internal incitement.
Observers also noted the symbolism of Tomer-Yerushalmi appearing in court while the government observed the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a moment widely remembered as a nadir of internal division and political incitement in Israel.
The military court proceedings and the parallel investigations — into the alleged abuse at Sde Teiman, the break-in at the detention center and the leak itself — remain ongoing.