A United Nations committee examining allegations of torture and abuse expressed concern over the arrest last month of former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who is now hospitalized at Ichilov Medical Center, according to information obtained by Ynet.
The UN Committee Against Torture published its decision over the weekend following hearings on various complaints. In its statement, the committee said it was troubled by Tomer-Yerushalmi’s arrest and demanded an update on the investigation. It called on Israel to “establish a mechanism to ensure that reliable information about torture and abuse can be provided without risk of retaliation or prosecution.”
A Justice Ministry delegation, led by director general Itamar Donenfeld, appeared before the committee last month. Former hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel also addressed the panel. Delegation members were surprised when committee representatives raised questions about the investigation of Tomer-Yerushalmi, saying she had exposed harm to Palestinian security detainees and was investigated as a result.
The committee wrote that it was concerned that Tomer-Yerushalmi had been arrested “for allegedly authorizing the provision of video clips to media organizations which purportedly show an assault on a Palestinian detainee by military personnel at the Sde Teiman detention center.”
The panel urged Israel to create protections for whistleblowers reporting abuse of security detainees and requested detailed information on Tomer-Yerushalmi’s condition and any criminal or disciplinary proceedings involving her.
The committee also criticized what it described as a failure to prosecute complaints of abuse of Palestinian detainees. It noted information indicating there had been only one conviction related to torture or abuse since October 2023 and said the seven-month sentence imposed by the military court did not reflect the severity of the offense.
The committee said detention conditions had deteriorated sharply, linking the trend to policies of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. It cited a High Court ruling addressing prison overcrowding and said detainees lacked access to adequate food. According to reports received by the committee, many prisoners had lost significant weight, in some cases contributing to deaths in custody.
The panel wrote that at least 75 Palestinians had died in custody since October 7, calling the figure unusually high and noting that no official had been held responsible.
It also questioned why, despite the numerous complaints it had received, Israel had not brought charges for abuse of Palestinian security detainees.