The Israeli political and military establishment has been thrown into turmoil following the arrest of Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the former top lawyer of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), over the leak of a video allegedly showing severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers.
Maj Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week as the Military Advocate General, admitted to authorizing the release of the video that sparked a national uproar and reignited fierce debate over Israel’s handling of Palestinian detainees. Her arrest marks a dramatic escalation in a case that has exposed deep rifts within Israel’s political and military institutions.
The video, broadcast in August 2024 by an Israeli news outlet, appeared to show reservists at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel violently assaulting a blindfolded detainee — including scenes of alleged sexual assault with a sharp object. The detainee sustained serious injuries and was later released to Gaza in October 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
Five reservists have been charged with aggravated abuse and causing grievous bodily harm, charges they have denied. Their supporters, including far-right lawmakers, have dismissed the allegations as fabricated, framing the soldiers as victims of a politically motivated prosecution.
The leak has since polarized Israel’s already divided society. The right-wing camp accuses Tomer-Yerushalmi of betraying the military and tarnishing Israel’s image, while human rights advocates and liberal groups hail her as a rare voice of accountability within a system accused of systemic cover-ups.
After tendering her resignation on Friday, the former military advocate general was reported missing on Sunday, prompting a massive search operation along the Herzliya coastline north of Tel Aviv. Police later confirmed she was found “safe and in good health,” but soon after, she was detained along with Col Matan Solomosh, the former chief military prosecutor, on suspicion of “leaking and other serious criminal offences.”
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi said she took full responsibility for any material released to the media, explaining that she sought to counter what she termed “false propaganda” aimed at discrediting the army’s legal authorities.
“It is our duty to investigate whenever there is reasonable suspicion of acts of violence against a detainee,” she wrote, defending her decision as an ethical imperative rather than an act of subversion.
But her move was met with fury from senior government figures. Defence Minister Israel Katz denounced her conduct as “a blood libel against the IDF,” declaring that anyone who undermines the army’s reputation “is unfit to wear its uniform.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the condemnation, calling the Sde Teiman scandal “the most severe public relations attack the State of Israel has experienced since its establishment.”
The controversy surrounding the leaked footage has become a flashpoint in the larger ideological battle gripping Israel since the Gaza war began in 2023. While right-wing politicians and military loyalists see the investigation as a witch hunt against soldiers defending the country, others argue it reveals a pattern of systematic abuse and impunity that Israel can no longer ignore.
The United Nations has repeatedly accused Israel of committing grave violations against Palestinian detainees, including torture and sexual violence — allegations Israel strongly denies, insisting it adheres to international legal standards and investigates all credible complaints.
As the investigation into the leak widens, the arrest of the IDF’s former legal chief underscores the mounting tension between transparency and loyalty within Israel’s security apparatus. What began as a case of alleged detainee abuse has now evolved into a high-stakes struggle over truth, accountability, and the moral limits of national defense.
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