Former Israeli army chief prosecutor arrested over 2024 leaked video showing abuse

Former Israeli army chief prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi has been arrested in connection with the 2024 leak of a video suggesting severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the high-security Sde Teiman prison near Gaza, for which five reservists have been indicted.

The case, which erupted in August 2024 after Israel’s Channel 12 aired footage filmed by a surveillance camera — later picked up by several outlets — sparked national and international outrage, as the video appeared to show acts of extreme violence, including sexual assault, by Israeli soldiers.

In her resignation letter, published Friday, the former military magistrate, who holds the rank of general, admitted that her office had distributed the footage to the media. She briefly disappeared on Sunday, prompting speculation about a possible suicide attempt.

On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced her overnight arrest on Telegram. Israeli media later reported that a Tel Aviv court extended her detention until Wednesday.

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According to public broadcaster Kan, Tomer-Yerushalmi is suspected of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and disclosure of classified information. Another military prosecutor has also been implicated.

The leaked video suggested soldiers had inflicted serious physical and sexual abuse on a Palestinian detainee. In February 2025, the Israeli army charged five reservists for mistreating a detainee at Sde Teiman in July 2024.

According to the indictment, the soldiers “acted with extreme violence,” stabbing the detainee with a sharp object that penetrated near his rectum, causing fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and internal tearing.

The Sde Teiman detention center, located inside a military base, has held Palestinians detained since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel — including alleged members of the Islamist group’s commandos.

The case has severely tarnished Israel’s international image and military credibility. “The revelations of brutal abuse at Sde Teiman have deeply damaged not only Israel’s public image but also the legitimacy of the state and the army,” Yedioth Ahronoth wrote in a recent editorial.

Ben Gvir said prison authorities would “act with heightened vigilance to ensure the detainee’s safety” and called for a “professional investigation to uncover the full truth.”

Channel 12 also reported that police suspect Tomer-Yerushalmi may have staged her disappearance to dispose of her phone, which could contain incriminating information.

In July 2024, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported that many Palestinians detained since Oct. 7 had been held in secret, in some cases subjected to treatment that could amount to torture.