Tel Aviv: Israeli military’s top lawyer, Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who recently resigned over a Palestinian prisoner rape scandal, was found safe on Sunday, November 2, after being missing for several hours.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), she went missing on Sunday morning after her car was discovered abandoned near the shoreline at Hatzuk Beach in northern Tel Aviv, alongside a note suggesting suicidal intent.
In this regard, the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, instructed the Operations Directorate to “activate all available means to locate her as soon as possible,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on X.
Helicopters and ground units were deployed along the coastline. Police later confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi had contacted her husband and was in a safe condition.
Her disappearance came after she submitted her resignation on October 31, following a criminal investigation into the leak of a video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee during the Gaza war.
The footage, filmed at Sde Teiman detention facility, showed soldiers taking aside a blindfolded detainee lying face down, surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility, and then assaulting him. The victim was later hospitalised with severe injuries.
At least nine soldiers were arrested in connection with the assault; five remain in custody. The video’s release sparked widespread outrage and embarrassment for the military, prompting a probe into how it was leaked
The video’s publication sparked widespread outrage and embarrassment for the Israeli military, prompting a criminal probe into how the footage was leaked.
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted to leaking the footage in August 2024, claiming she authorised its release to counter “false propaganda” against military law enforcement.
She is expected to face questioning over obstruction of justice, unauthorised publication of classified material, and misleading senior officials during the investigation.
The scandal has reignited debate within Israel over the military’s treatment of Palestinian detainees and the transparency of internal investigations.
