Jerusalem
—
Less than a week ago, Maj. Gen. Iffat Tomer-Yershalmi was the Israeli military’s top lawyer, tasked with enforcing the rule of law within the country’s armed forces.
She is currently being arrested as part of a criminal investigation into a leaked video showing alleged abuse, including sexual abuse, of Palestinian detainees at a notorious Israeli military prison.
The rapid fall from grace of Tomer Yerushalmi, a longtime target of the Israeli right, quickly emerged as a national scandal, overshadowed by the video at the center of the case.
The incident dates back to July 2024, when Israel Defense Forces (IDF) legal authorities opened an investigation into soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee while about 20 other detainees lay face down near Sde Teiman military prison during the Gaza conflict.
The investigation and subsequent arrest of the soldiers sparked a fierce political backlash, with some right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition joining protests and riots outside the Sde Teyman facility and military court where the soldiers were taken.
Video shows Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting Palestinian detainees (Warning: Sensitive content)
The video was first aired by Israel’s Channel 12 in August 2024, but was not the first report to raise concerns about conditions at the base. In May 2024, CNN spoke to three whistleblowers who detailed their alleged abuse at Sude Teyman. A month later, Israel announced it would begin phasing out the facility.
But that did little to quell the vitriol that targeted the military’s top lawyer.
On Wednesday, Tomer Elsalmi was suspended from his duties as military attorney general after Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara announced a criminal investigation into the leaks. Two days later, Tomer-Yershalmi submitted his resignation, authorized the release of the video, and acknowledged that he “takes full responsibility for any content released from within the unit to the media.”
In her letter, she wrote that the “incitement campaign” against her reached its peak following the decision to investigate Sude Teiman’s soldiers. “This operation continues to this day, causing deep and serious damage to the Israel Defense Forces, its image, and the resilience of its soldiers and their commanders,” she wrote.
“Some things cannot be done even for the worst detainees,” she wrote. “Officers in the[Legal]Forces have been subjected to repeated personal attacks, severe insults, and even real threats, all while protecting the IDF’s rule of law alongside and alongside their commanders.”
For Israel’s right-wing political class, resignations and investigations were not enough. Hours after Tomer-Yershalmi resigned, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would take “all necessary sanctions against her,” including stripping her of her rank. Katz issued at least seven statements against the chief military prosecutor within a week, accusing him of engaging in “blood libel” against soldiers, even though the authenticity of the video was not questioned, and in February 2025, five soldiers were indicted on charges of abusing detainees. They denied any wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the leak a “huge reputational damage” and on Sunday described it as “the worst public relations disaster in Israel’s history.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the lawyers’ actions “criminal acts under a legal guise” and called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the leaks.
After that, Tomer Elsalmi disappeared.
For several hours on Sunday, Israeli military and police were unable to locate the woman who until just days ago had served as the country’s top lawyer. The IDF said in a statement that it would “take all measures” to find her “as soon as possible.”
After an extensive search, she was found on a beach north of Tel Aviv.
On Sunday evening, police arrested Tomer Yerushalmi on suspicion of multiple crimes: fraud and breach of trust, abuse of public power, obstruction of justice, and leaking information by a public official.
She has not yet been formally charged or entered a plea. Her next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. A lawyer representing Tomer Elsalmi declined to comment on the matter.
Tomer Yerushalmi is also accused of misleading the High Court, military and judicial officials about the video leak, and of submitting a false affidavit to the court. In addition to Tomer-Yershalmi, other legal officials from the military prosecutor’s office are also implicated in the leak and its alleged cover-up. According to police, there are five suspects under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian detainees at the center of the abuse allegations have been returned to Gaza as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, raising doubts about the prospects for an effective prosecution of the soldiers accused in the case, as the alleged victims are unable to testify.
The incident is part of a larger attack on Israel’s judiciary by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has sought to bar an investigation into the leaks of Baharav Miara, another frequent target of the right, and has suggested that the attorney general’s own involvement in the case should also be investigated. In a statement last week, Levin insisted that “no one involved in a conflict of interest will participate in the investigation.”
“The lies that have been built here over the years, trampling on the rights of the entire population and seriously compromising the security of the state and the IDF soldiers, are gradually disintegrating,” Levin said. “Groups that have become accustomed to treating this country as their own are being replaced.”
In response, Baharav Miara’s office said in a letter that Levin was attempting to “unlawfully interfere” with the investigation process, which was “impeding its progress.”
