Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Nov 1: In a major development, the Israeli military’s chief legal officer, Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, resigned on Friday over a criminal inquiry into the leak of a video allegedly showing soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee during the Gaza war.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, who served as the Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said she was stepping down because she had approved the video’s release in August 2024. The footage, which surfaced on Israel’s N12 News, sparked widespread outrage and led to criminal charges against five soldiers.

The video, reportedly filmed at the Sde Teiman detention camp, appeared to show soldiers taking a detainee aside, surrounding him while holding a dog, and using riot shields to block the view of their actions. The camp holds both Hamas militants involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks and Palestinians captured in later combat operations.

Following the leak, right-wing politicians denounced the investigation into the soldiers, and protesters stormed two military compounds after investigators summoned troops for questioning.

Defence Minister Israel Katz later confirmed that a criminal inquiry into the leak was ongoing and that Tomer-Yerushalmi had been placed on forced leave before her resignation.

In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi defended her actions, saying the decision to release the footage was meant to counter “propaganda” targeting the IDF’s legal department, which she said had faced smears during the war.

She emphasized that even detainees accused of terrorism must not be subjected to abuse. “To my regret, this basic understanding – that there are acts to which even the most vile of detainees must not be subjected – is no longer convincing to all,” she wrote.
Tomer-Yerushalmi referred to the Sde Teiman detainees as “terrorists of the worst kind” but insisted that investigating alleged abuses was essential to upholding the rule of law within the military.

Her resignation drew strong reactions across Israel’s political spectrum. Defence Minister Katz said that anyone fabricating “blood libels against Israeli soldiers was unworthy of wearing the IDF uniform.”

Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed her resignation and demanded inquiries into other legal officials. He also shared a video of himself standing over bound Palestinian prisoners, calling them “October 7 attackers” who deserved the death penalty.

The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees. Rights groups have accused Israeli forces of widespread abuse during wartime detentions — allegations the military denies, saying such acts are isolated and under investigation.

Earlier this month, around 1,700 Gaza detainees were released as part of a ceasefire deal in exchange for 20 Israeli hostages. Some freed hostages later told Israeli media they had been beaten in captivity, allegedly in retaliation for statements by Ben-Gvir, who has publicly boasted about worsening prison conditions for Palestinians.