Israel’s top military prosecutor has been arrested after admitting to leaking a video that showed Israeli soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention camp.
The chief military advocate, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, resigned on Friday after taking full responsibility for the leak and was arrested on multiple charges on Monday, including abuse of office and breach of trust.
The widely circulated footage caused an international uproar when it was first released by Israel’s Channel 12 in August 2024. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called the leak “the most serious public relations attack” against Israel to date.
Maj Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi said that she had leaked the video to counter criticism that the military was prioritising Palestinian detainees over Israeli troops. In her resignation letter she said the military had a “duty to investigate when there is reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee,” according to excerpts published in Israeli media.
“Unfortunately, this basic understanding — that there are actions which must never be taken even against the vilest of detainees — no longer convinces everyone,” she wrote.
Mr Netanyahu had singled out the incident as the target of an “independent, impartial investigation” to discover exactly how the leak had emerged in recent days, eventually leading to the prosecutor’s arrest.
The footage showed a Palestinian detainee, blindfolded and lying on his front among several rows of prisoners, at the notorious detention camp in the Negev desert.
He is then seen being picked out of the group and taken to a corner where several soldiers are seen surrounding him from behind and moving back and forth, covering themselves with shields.
The man was later admitted to hospital with rib injuries so severe that he is said to have been unable to walk, according to Israeli media. On its release, a United Nations spokesperson called the footage “shocking”. It also sparked major protests in Israel in support of the soldiers after multiple members of the IDF’s Unit 100, including a captain and a major, were arrested.
Five reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm, including the charge of using a “sharp object” to stab the detainee.
On Monday it emerged that the detainee had been released as part of a prisoner-hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, said Maj Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested on Sunday night.
At a court hearing on Monday, the judge extended her detention by 48 hours until Wednesday, according to a copy of the decision.
The court said she was being held on suspicion of offences including fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.
Police conducted a search for Maj Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi on Sunday after her family raised concerns about her safety and police found her abandoned car near the beach in Tel Aviv, Channel 12 reported. Police said she was found soon after the search began.
