Israeli police confirmed Friday evening that a cellphone found earlier in the day on the seabed off Herzliya Beach belongs to Maj. Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the former Military Advocate General, was released that morning from Neve Tirza Prison to 10 days of house arrest.
Investigators from the police cyber unit completed a forensic analysis of the device and determined that it indeed belongs to Tomer-Yerushalmi. Officers have begun extracting data from the phone as part of the ongoing investigation into her alleged role in the leak of a video showing IDF reservists abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.
The phone was discovered by open-water swimmer Noa Itiel, who said she spotted it on the seafloor while swimming near Herzliya. “After I surfaced, I pressed the side button and immediately saw a lock screen photo of someone I recognized from the news — the Military Advocate General,” she said. Itiel handed the phone over to police, who began testing it to verify ownership.
Earlier in the day, a police source described the circumstances of the discovery as “unusual,” saying that “all signs indicate the phone is hers,” though investigators initially stopped short of confirming it. They traced the device’s serial number, cross-checked its purchase and registration details, and analyzed its cellular connections to determine when it was last active.
Tomer-Yerushalmi and her phone were last seen on Sunday, five days before the discovery. Investigators were reportedly surprised that the phone’s battery still functioned and that it had survived submersion in saltwater.
Released to house arrest amid ongoing probe
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Friday approved Tomer-Yerushalmi’s release to 10 days of house arrest, while barring her from contacting others connected to the case for 55 days.
Tomer-Yerushalmi, who admitted to involvement in leaking the Sde Teiman video, is under investigation for fraud and breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and providing classified information as a public official.
She posted NIS 20,000 bail, but police did not request that her passport be confiscated or that she be banned from leaving the country.
Leaving Neve Tirza Prison earlier in the day, Tomer-Yerushalmi was seen in public for the first time since the scandal broke. She walked briskly past reporters and declined to answer questions.
Police officials have not ruled out any possibilities regarding how the phone ended up in the sea — including the theory that it was deliberately discarded or that its discovery was part of an investigative maneuver.
For now, the phone — and whatever data it contains — could play a critical role in unraveling one of the most controversial leaks in recent IDF history.