Vanishing Phone, Zoom Court: Inside the Leaked-Video Scandal Rocking Israel’s Legal System
Police say suspicions have “strengthened considerably” as they examine whether Tomer-Yerushalmi staged her disappearance to destroy evidence
Israel’s political arena is again grappling with scandal after a court ordered the continued detention of the military’s former top lawyer. On Wednesday, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court Judge Shelly Kutin extended Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s remand until Friday and approved her request to appear at future hearings by videoconference from prison due to what the court described as a delicate mental state.
Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is under investigation for fraud and breach of trust, abuse of official power, obstruction of justice, and disclosure of information by a public official. Police told the court that suspicions against her have “strengthened considerably,” citing concerns that she may obstruct the probe.
In the lead-up to her arrest—alongside another senior officer from the military advocate general’s office—events were highly dramatic, even by Israeli standards, where scandal, controversy, and rapid developments are common. Police now say her brief disappearance on Sunday may have been staged to destroy evidence, including an unlocated mobile phone. Investigators seized her smartwatch during a search at her home and accessed its contents with a password she provided.
Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted she approved the leak of a surveillance video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner. The video sits at the center of a contentious probe into conduct at an Israeli military prison and is believed to have fueled sharp international criticism of Israel during its war in Gaza.
Prosecutors have indicted soldiers suspected of abuse that allegedly occurred at the Sde Teiman military detention center in the summer of 2024. A separate suspect, former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh, was arrested on suspicion he assisted Tomer-Yerushalmi in obstructing the investigation; the court ruled Wednesday that he would be released from custody under restrictive conditions later in the evening.
According to investigators, the leak by the senior general was intended to expose serious allegations, triggering a fierce national debate. After the suspects were detained, dozens of Israelis—including far-right politicians—entered the Sde Teiman base to show support for the soldiers.
The video is believed to be edited, showing soldiers leading a detainee to a corner and later a group of soldiers hovering over something or someone. What is also known is that a Palestinian detainee was hospitalized with broken ribs and a tear in the wall of his rectum. Missing segments before, between, and after the visible scenes leave the sequence incomplete. The events depicted remain unclear, deepening arguments about context and authenticity. The detainee, a suspected Hamas member, has since been deported to the Gaza Strip and is likely unavailable for further testimony.
“Legally, morally and from a Zionist patriotic [point of view], this video should not have been leaked,” attorney Zeev Lev, from the Movement for Governability and Democracy, told The Media Line. “Legally, this was material that should have remained confidential. Morally, this caused major damage to the rights of those under investigation and on a national level, this caused damage to the country as if it was admitting to committing war crimes that it hadn’t committed.”
There was no value in the video’s publication other than to cause damage
“There was no value in the video’s publication other than to cause damage,” Lev added.
Among right-wing Israelis and supporters of the current government, the former top military lawyer is accused of harming the army’s reputation and supplying Israel’s enemies with what they view as false propaganda. Some have labeled her actions a betrayal of the state. Critics of the government counter that Tomer-Yerushalmi’s decision upheld legal accountability and military justice by exposing serious and unacceptable abuse of detainees.
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Throughout the war, Israel has faced accusations of excessive force, disproportionate actions, and war crimes. The country is also under investigation by the International Court of Justice in The Hague for alleged genocide. The leaked video likely reached millions of viewers worldwide.
“Israel has been criticized for not investigating cases of soldiers suspected in unlawful conduct,” Prof. Barak Medina of the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told The Media Line. “One of the claims is that the political echelon is preventing the military echelon from acting.”
This case is extreme, because there is strong indication in the video and extreme pressure from politicians not to prosecute
Medina said that although there are dozens of suspected cases, none has yet resulted in a criminal indictment. “This case is extreme, because there is strong indication in the video and extreme pressure from politicians not to prosecute,” he said.
Israeli officials argue in international forums that the country’s judicial and military legal systems are capable and independent in enforcing international law and prosecuting alleged violations of the laws of war. In international law, the principle of complementarity means the International Criminal Court intervenes only when a state is unwilling or unable to act genuinely on its own.
“This government is characterized by its struggle against law enforcement,” said Medina. “What we are seeing now is an attempt to divert the public discourse from investigating what led up to the war and things that happened during the war to blaming the gatekeepers and the judiciary. This is part of the greater struggle.”
“Israel’s biggest problem today is its international standing—facing both economic and academic embargos, but there is also a danger that soldiers who travel abroad will be prosecuted,” Medina said. “The chief military advocate claims she leaked the video because of the public pressure not to persecute. This is a catastrophe, because if she feels threatened and pushed to take illegal actions, it means there is a serious problem.”
“We know of tens of cases of soldiers who have posted videos on social media depicting illegal acts that are not being investigated, and this really harms Israel,” Medina added.
An enormous reputational blow … the worst PR disaster in Israel’s history
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the leak dealt “an enormous reputational blow,” calling it “the worst PR disaster in Israel’s history.”
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote that she disclosed evidence of the alleged abuse to counter claims that the military was unfairly targeting its own soldiers. Those claims sparked protests and personal threats against her and other officers in her unit.
She resigned after admitting she leaked the video and later lied about it to superiors, and she was simultaneously dismissed by the army chief of staff. Days later, on Sunday, she disappeared for several hours, leaving two suicide notes. She was found after a large search and then arrested. Transcripts leaked from her initial police questioning suggest the disappearance was staged. Her phone—believed to contain crucial material for the investigation—also went missing during those hours.
Debate over the video and the leak taps into a broader rift that has deepened in Israeli society in recent years. A government push for sweeping judicial changes before the war ignited mass protests and intensified internal friction.
That push halted abruptly when Hamas—a US-designated terrorist organization—staged a surprise offensive against Israel on October 7, 2023, plunging the country into a multifront war that has stretched into a second year.
Supporters of the government argue the judiciary accumulated too much power in recent decades and often blocked elected officials from implementing policies. Opponents warned the changes threatened Israeli democracy by weakening checks and balances meant to oversee the government.
Political fallout spread Wednesday to the courts and the Knesset. The High Court of Justice ordered Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Deputy State Attorney Alon Altman to respond by noon Thursday to a petition seeking to bar them from involvement in the leak investigation. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is trying to sideline the attorney general and appointed State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to oversee aspects of the case, faces a counter-petition from the Movement for Quality Government arguing his move lacks legal basis.
Inside the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, coalition lawmakers escalated attacks on the legal establishment. Likud MK Moshe Saada called the law-enforcement system a “criminal organization” and committee chair MK Simcha Rothman accused officials of “contaminating the investigation.” Baharav-Miara declined to attend the hearing, saying participation by law-enforcement figures could interfere with an active criminal probe.
Tensions continue to rise as ministers seek to remove the attorney general, whom senior officials have also tied to the leak controversy. Guardians of the legal system say they increasingly feel under attack. Tomer-Yerushalmi’s actions took those feelings a step further.
Her critics accuse her of treason, arguing she endangered Israeli soldiers. Defenders say the illegality of her move reflects profound concern for the future of the judiciary.
“The entire judiciary has crossed a line already,” said Lev. “What we are seeing is the stage in which they are putting the interests of the system above the law, above the interests of the state and the very interests they are meant to serve.”
The involvement of senior figures from the office of the chief military advocate—and alleged links to the state’s attorney general—has raised the stakes. Public trust in the judiciary and Israel’s standing in a sensitive international environment are both on the line.
Tomer-Yerushalmi’s next court appearance is now set for Friday via Zoom, while the High Court weighs petitions over who may oversee the investigation.
