Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - Israeli police have arrested former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, authorities confirmed on Monday, November 3, following a scandal surrounding a leaked video that appeared to show Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee.
The arrest came after a tumultuous weekend in which
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned from her post and was reported missing for several
hours on Sunday, November 2, prompting widespread speculation in Israeli media
about a possible suicide attempt.
In her resignation letter, published by local outlets on
Friday, Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted that her office had released the
controversial footage to the media last year. The video, filmed at the Sde
Teiman military base, showed soldiers allegedly mistreating a Palestinian
detainee held during the Gaza war.
Following the leak, five reservist soldiers were charged in
2024 with offences including “acting against the detainee with severe
violence,” among them stabbing the detainee near the rectum with a sharp
object. Prosecutors said the abuse caused “severe physical injury… including
cracked ribs, a punctured lung and an inner rectal tear.”
The National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, confirmed
Tomer-Yerushalmi’s arrest in a statement on Telegram, saying:
“It was agreed that in light of last night’s events, the
prison service would act with extra vigilance to ensure the detainee’s safety
in the detention centre where she has been placed in custody.”
He also stressed the need for a thorough investigation,
adding:
“It is important to conduct the investigation professionally
in order to uncover the full truth regarding the case that led to a blood libel
against IDF soldiers.”
Israeli media reported that a Tel Aviv court ordered
Tomer-Yerushalmi’s remand in custody until Wednesday noon, on suspicion of
fraud and breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and
disclosure of information by a public servant. Another member of the military
prosecution is also implicated in the case.
The Israeli army had earlier confirmed her resignation and
announced an ongoing investigation into the leaked video. The footage,
broadcast by Channel 12 in August 2024, depicted incidents at the Sde Teiman
base, which has been used to detain Palestinians captured during the Gaza
conflict.
Although the video did not show the abuse directly, it
reportedly captured soldiers shielding the acts from the camera. The incident
sparked international condemnation and protests within Israel, intensifying
scrutiny of the military’s treatment of detainees amid the war that began after
Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli military acknowledged in February 2025 that it
had gathered extensive evidence, including surveillance footage and medical
records, to support the charges against the five soldiers. The statement
detailed that the abuse occurred on July 5, 2024, during a search operation
when the detainee, blindfolded and handcuffed, was taken to a
separate area and assaulted.
As news of Tomer-Yerushalmi’s arrest broke, Channel 12
reported that police believed she may have staged her disappearance to dispose
of her phone, which could contain compromising information. Some outlets said
she left behind a note that could be interpreted as a suicide letter.
The case has renewed international scrutiny of Israel’s
military detention practices. A UN commission report released in October 2024
concluded that thousands of detainees had been subjected to “widespread and
systematic abuse” in Israeli military camps, describing the acts as “war crimes
and crimes against humanity of torture.”
Israel rejected the UN’s findings, calling them “outrageous”
and maintaining that it remains “fully committed to international legal
standards regarding the treatment of detainees.”
The scandal surrounding Tomer-Yerushalmi has further
intensified debate within Israel about accountability, ethics, and the image of
its military amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
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