Less than a week ago, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was at the pinnacle of Israel’s military legal system, serving as the army’s chief advocate-general and tasked with upholding the rule of law within the ranks of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Today, she sits in custody, at the center of a scandal that has gripped Israel’s legal, political, and military establishments, and cast a harsh international spotlight on the country’s conduct during its ongoing war in Gaza.
The dramatic turn began with the leak of a surveillance video from the Sde Teiman military detention center. The footage, first aired by Israel’s Channel 12 in August 2024, allegedly shows Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee while other detainees lie face-down nearby. According to CNN, the investigation into these events began in July 2024, after whistleblowers had already raised alarms about abuses at the same facility. By June, Israeli authorities had announced plans to phase out Sde Teiman, but the revelations kept coming.
On November 5, 2025, Judge Shelly Kutin of the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended Tomer-Yerushalmi’s remand until November 7 and approved her request to attend future hearings via videoconference from prison, citing her “delicate mental state.” The judge’s decision followed her dramatic disappearance on November 3, when she vanished for several hours, leaving suicide notes behind. Police later found her on a beach north of Tel Aviv, and shortly thereafter, she was arrested on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of official power, obstruction of justice, and disclosure of information by a public official, as reported by The Media Line and UNN.
Police now suspect that Tomer-Yerushalmi’s disappearance may have been staged to destroy evidence, including a missing mobile phone. Investigators seized her smartwatch and accessed its contents with a password she provided. The phone, however, remains unaccounted for. Police told the court that suspicions against her have “strengthened considerably,” and expressed concern that she may still attempt to obstruct the probe.
At the heart of the investigation is Tomer-Yerushalmi’s admission that she approved the leak of the controversial video. In her resignation letter, she took “full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from within the unit,” explaining that she authorized the leak to counter what she described as an “incitement campaign” against the military’s legal department. “There are things that cannot be done even against the worst of the detainees,” she wrote, according to CNN. She further lamented the personal attacks and threats faced by herself and her colleagues for “standing guard over the rule of law in the IDF.”
The video’s release triggered an immediate and fierce reaction across Israel’s political spectrum. Prosecutors indicted five Israeli reservists on charges of severe beatings and abuse of a Palestinian prisoner, while former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh was arrested for allegedly assisting Tomer-Yerushalmi in obstructing the investigation. He was later released under restrictive conditions. The Palestinian detainee at the center of the alleged abuse was hospitalized with broken ribs and a rectal wall tear and has since been deported to Gaza as part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement, making his testimony in the ongoing investigation unlikely.
Internationally, the leak has been a public relations disaster for Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “an enormous reputational blow” and “the worst PR disaster in Israel’s history.” The footage fueled sharp criticism of Israel’s wartime conduct, with the country already under investigation by the International Court of Justice for alleged war crimes and facing accusations of excessive force in Gaza. Human rights groups, as reported by UNN, have long documented abuses against Palestinian detainees during the conflict.
Domestically, the scandal has deepened rifts within Israeli society and government. Right-wing politicians and supporters of the current government have accused Tomer-Yerushalmi of betraying the army and providing fodder for Israel’s enemies. Some have even labeled her actions as treasonous. Defense Minister Israel Katz, for instance, announced he would take “all necessary sanctions against her,” including stripping her of her rank, and accused her of involvement in a “blood libel” against IDF soldiers. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went further, calling her conduct “criminal behavior under a legal guise” and demanding a special prosecutor investigate the leak.
On the other side, critics of the government argue that Tomer-Yerushalmi’s decision to expose the abuse was an act of legal accountability and a defense of military justice. Professor Barak Medina of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told The Media Line that “Israel has been criticized for not investigating cases of soldiers suspected in unlawful conduct,” adding that “the political echelon is preventing the military echelon from acting.” He described the case as “extreme,” both because of the evidence in the video and the political pressure not to prosecute. Medina warned that if top legal officials feel threatened or compelled to take illegal actions, “there is a serious problem.”
The affair has also become a flashpoint in Israel’s ongoing struggle over the independence of its judiciary. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has sought to bar Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from overseeing the leak investigation, arguing that she herself should be examined for possible involvement. Levin insisted, “Anyone involved in conflicts of interest will not be part of the investigation.” Baharav-Miara’s office fired back, accusing Levin of unlawful interference that “impedes its progress.” The High Court of Justice has now ordered both Baharav-Miara and Deputy State Attorney Alon Altman to respond to a petition seeking to bar them from the probe.
The controversy has spilled over into the Knesset, where coalition lawmakers have escalated attacks on the legal establishment. Likud MK Moshe Saada called the law-enforcement system a “criminal organization,” and committee chair MK Simcha Rothman accused officials of “contaminating the investigation.” Meanwhile, the Movement for Quality Government has filed a counter-petition arguing that Justice Minister Levin’s move to sideline the attorney general lacks legal basis.
As the legal and political fallout continues, Tomer-Yerushalmi’s next court appearance is set for November 7, 2025, via Zoom. The stakes remain high: public trust in the judiciary, Israel’s international reputation, and the future of accountability in the country’s armed forces all hang in the balance. The debate over the video and its leak is now about more than one official’s actions—it’s a referendum on the very soul of Israel’s democracy.
