Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who until last week served as the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Chief Military Advocate General, was arrested as part of an investigation into the leaking of a shocking video that allegedly showed Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military base.
Police confirmed on Sunday that Tomer-Yerushalmi, 51, was taken into custody along with former chief military prosecutor Colonel Matan Solomosh. Their arrest came just hours after she was reported missing, prompting an hours-long search along Tel Aviv’s coastline before she was found safe in Herzliya.
The arrest marks a dramatic turn in an escalating political controversy that has divided Israel’s military and political leadership.
A military leader
Tomer-Yerushalmi, a major general and only the second woman in IDF history to achieve this rank, was one of the military’s most prominent legal figures. She served as Chief Military Advocate from September 2021 to October 2025, overseeing all military prosecutions and legal standards for soldiers in the conduct of war.
Academic and legal background
A native of Netanya, she studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem through the Military Academic Reserve and later earned a master’s degree at Tel Aviv University. She also studied at the US Army Judge Advocate General’s Law Center and School in Virginia.
A champion of ethics and equality
During her nearly three decades in the service, she handled key legal cases involving military ethics, the conduct of war and gender equality. She previously served as an IDF gender advisor where she helped establish the “Metsapim” center to support parenthood during service.
Sde Teiman abuse video
The controversy centers on footage broadcast in August 2024 on Israel’s Channel 12 that allegedly showed Israeli reservists at the Sde Teiman detention camp — a facility in southern Israel where Palestinian detainees are held — beating and sexually assaulting inmates while blocking cameras with riot shields.
The detainee reportedly suffered severe internal injuries and was hospitalized.
The five reservists were charged with aggravated assault and grievous bodily harm, but denied the charges.
The incident became a flashpoint for Israel’s political division:
The right calls the video a “vilification” of the military and an act of “treason”.
The left sees the footage as evidence of systemic abuse and applauds Tomer-Yerushalmi for allowing transparency.
Resignation
Last week, Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned after admitting that she had allowed classified video material to be released to the media.
In her resignation letter, she wrote: “I approved the release of the material to the media in an effort to counter false propaganda against the military’s law enforcement agencies.
She also defended the principle of accountability within the military, stating that “it is our duty to investigate whenever there is reasonable suspicion of acts of violence against a detainee”.
Her stance angered senior political leaders. Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “Anyone who spreads bloody insults against IDF troops is not fit to wear the uniform of the army.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Sde Teiman incident “perhaps the most serious public relations attack the State of Israel has experienced since its founding.”
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Arrest after disappearance
Hours after Netanyahu’s remarks, reports emerged that Tomer-Yerushalmi had disappeared near a beach north of Tel Aviv. Police and paramedics launched an extensive search and found her alive a few hours later.
That night, she and Colonel Solomosh were arrested on suspicion of “exfiltration and other serious crimes” related to the classified video.
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