Search efforts continued Tuesday morning off the coast of Herzliya for the mobile phone of former military advocate general Maj. Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who allegedly threw it into the sea two days earlier while she was missing.
Rescue teams from ZAKA, including divers, joined the search following what ZAKA Tel Aviv spokesman Israel Hasid described as “a request from the security forces.” The IDF and Shin Bet have yet to comment on the report.
ZAKA Jerusalem spokesman Moti Bokchin said the operation was not organized by the Jerusalem branch, clarifying that the organization’s diving unit “acts only in missions related to saving lives or preserving human dignity.”
On Monday, amateur metal detector enthusiasts also gathered on the beach, responding to social media posts offering cash rewards for finding the phone. One of them, Eitan Nahum, said he and his team had received “inside information from police” about the location where Tomer-Yerushalmi was found. “One of our team members found a phone at that exact spot 10 minutes after we arrived,” he said, adding that the device was not an iPhone and had been handed over to the police.
“We just want justice,” Nahum said. “We all served in the army, and we want to stand by those who serve. A lawyer representing the soldiers told us he supports our efforts to uncover the truth.”
Police believe Tomer-Yerushalmi’s personal phone contains key evidence in the investigation into her alleged involvement in leaking a video showing IDF reservists abusing a detained Palestinian militant at the Tze’elim base. According to law enforcement sources, the leak was allegedly planned and coordinated in a WhatsApp group of senior military prosecutors led by Tomer-Yerushalmi. Some participants are also suspected of obstructing the internal probe into the source of the leak and drafting false affidavits submitted to the High Court of Justice.
Authorities say finding the phone is crucial to identifying additional suspects not included in the existing correspondence between those already under investigation. Even if the device is not recovered, investigators could request Tomer-Yerushalmi’s passwords to messaging apps and email accounts to access the data remotely.
On Monday, the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended Tomer-Yerushalmi’s detention until Wednesday. Her appeal to the Tel Aviv District Court was denied, and the judge ordered that she not be photographed during the hearing.