One day after disappearing for hours and sparking a major search operation near Tel Aviv, former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is facing intensifying scrutiny over an alleged leak of a classified abuse video from the Sde Teiman detention facility.
According to interrogation transcripts published by Channel 12, Tomer-Yerushalmi told investigators she could not recall where she went during the hours she was missing — nor what happened to her phone, which police suspect she intentionally discarded. She was found alive Sunday evening, but the phone remains missing.
The investigation began after a routine Shin Bet polygraph test led to disclosure of a WhatsApp group in which Tomer-Yerushalmi allegedly approved leaking the video rather than quietly briefing journalists. “Now we’re taking this into our own hands,” she reportedly wrote.
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned last week after admitting to the leak. She and former IDF chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh are now detained until Wednesday as police investigate possible obstruction.
The scandal is widening: at least two additional MAG officers are under investigation for involvement or for allegedly misleading authorities about internal inquiries. The affair has also raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whose office previously stated the investigation had been “exhausted.”
As criticism from right-wing politicians intensifies — including inflammatory banners at a Beitar Jerusalem soccer match — senior MAG officials insist the entire unit should not be tainted. However, sources say a near-total leadership overhaul is now likely.
