By Ayomide Otitoju
Israeli police have arrested former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi following a scandal surrounding a leaked video allegedly showing soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Monday.
Tomer-Yerushalmi reportedly went missing for several hours on Sunday after tendering her resignation, sparking widespread speculation in Israeli media about a possible suicide attempt.
In her resignation letter, published Friday, she admitted that her office had released the footage to the media in 2024. The video, captured at the Sde Teiman military base, showed soldiers allegedly assaulting a detainee, prompting international outrage and internal investigations.
Following the leak, five reservists were charged earlier this year with severe mistreatment of a Palestinian detainee, including stabbing him with a sharp object that penetrated near his rectum, causing multiple internal injuries.
Ben Gvir said in a Telegram post that the prison service had been instructed to maintain “extra vigilance” to ensure Tomer-Yerushalmi’s safety in custody. He stressed the need for a professional investigation “to uncover the full truth regarding the case that led to a blood libel against IDF soldiers.”
A Tel Aviv court on Monday ordered Tomer-Yerushalmi’s detention until noon on Wednesday. Public broadcaster Kan reported that she faces allegations of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and unauthorized disclosure of official information. Another member of the military prosecution is also under investigation.
The Israeli army confirmed on Friday that Tomer-Yerushalmi had resigned pending an inquiry into the leaked footage from Sde Teiman, a detention site used to hold Palestinians captured during the Gaza conflict.
The controversy dates back to August 2024, when Israel’s Channel 12 aired surveillance footage suggesting soldiers had committed violent acts against a detainee, though the incident itself was partially obscured. The broadcast ignited protests within Israel and condemnation abroad.
In February 2025, military prosecutors charged five reservists with assault and severe abuse, citing video evidence and medical records showing the detainee suffered cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and internal injuries.
The revelations dealt a serious blow to Israel’s international reputation amid ongoing scrutiny of its conduct during the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. “The exposure of the brutal abuse… dealt a heavy blow not only to Israel’s image but also to its legitimacy,” Yedioth Ahronoth wrote in an editorial on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported Monday that investigators suspect Tomer-Yerushalmi may have faked her disappearance to dispose of her phone, which allegedly contained sensitive material. Some reports suggested she left behind a note interpreted as a possible suicide letter.
The controversy follows an October 2024 UN report that accused Israel of “widespread and systematic abuse” of detainees in military camps—acts it said amounted to “war crimes and crimes against humanity of torture.” Israel dismissed the findings as “outrageous,” insisting it remains committed to international standards on detainee treatment.
