The resignation of Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer‑Yerushalmi on Friday and her admission that she authorized the leak of the video depicting alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman base have marked a major turning point in the investigation rocking the IDF.
The focus of the inquiry is now shifting from who leaked the video to whether Tomer‑Yerushalmi obstructed justice by providing false information to the State Prosecution’s High Court department and other legal bodies, and whether she deliberately misled the courts.
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Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer‑Yerushalmi
(Photo: Meir Even Haim, Shalev Shalom)
The leak in question involved footage that allegedly showed reservists abusing a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman. It sparked a High Court petition demanding an investigation into the source of the leak and questions over whether the clip was edited with bias.
Tomer‑Yerushalmi had previously told the court that an internal investigation failed to identify the responsible party—but in her resignation, she wrote that she bore “full responsibility” for the release of the material.
Among those who weighed in, former defense minister Yoav Gallant said Tomer‑Yerushalmi had lied to him when he asked why the leaker had not been found. “Her resignation letter is a mockery,” he said, adding that the matter must be fully investigated.
In the wake of her departure, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced they would jointly seek to bring immediate stability to the Military Advocate General’s Office, with the chief of staff compiling a list of candidates for a successor and the minister to approve the final choice.
The probe’s outcome could carry significant implications for the IDF’s legal and operational procedures during the war in Gaza and for the military’s public standing.