Israel’s Chief Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has resigned after admitting she approved the leak of a classified surveillance video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in the Negev desert.
The footage was part of an internal military investigation into torture and abuse of detainees — many of whom, rights groups say, have been held without charge.
Her resignation has ignited fierce debate in Israel and abroad, with critics arguing that Tomer-Yerushalmi is being punished not for wrongdoing, but for exposing it.
According to the Associated Press, the video — which was leaked in August 2024 — shows a group of Israeli soldiers surrounding, restraining, and sexually assaulting a bound and blindfolded Palestinian man for roughly 15 minutes inside the facility. The footage was under military investigation at the time of the leak.
In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted authorizing the release of the footage, saying she hoped it would “push back against false propaganda” that the army was shielding war criminals. “I acted to defend the credibility of the military justice system,” she wrote, though she conceded that the move breached confidentiality laws.
A Dangerous Act of Transparency
The move has divided Israeli society: while government and army
officials condemned her for leaking classified material, others called
her actions a courageous stand for truth in a system built to hide it.
🔵 Israel’s Top Military Lawyer Resigns After Leaking Rape Video
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 1, 2025
Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Israel’s top military lawyer, resigned Friday after admitting she approved the leak of a surveillance video showing Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman prison gang-raping a Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/5GCG8ReLxw
Human-rights advocates point out that the IDF has long claimed to be “the most moral army in the world,” a slogan often used by Israeli leaders to defend controversial military operations. Yet the footage from Sde Teiman — and the punishment of the official who brought it to light — paints a very different picture.
“It’s a bitter irony,” one Israeli legal commentator told Haaretz. “The person who tried to uphold the law and transparency is the one being forced out, while those who committed the abuse remain under investigation, unnamed and unpunished.”
A Facility Shrouded in Secrecy
Sde Teiman has been the focus of repeated allegations of torture, sexual assault, and degrading treatment of Palestinian prisoners. International observers and human-rights groups — including HaMoked and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel — have documented testimonies describing shackling, beatings, and denial of medical care.
The scandal has further eroded confidence in Israel’s military justice system, which critics say often functions to protect soldiers rather than prosecute them.
Official Backlash
The Israeli government reacted swiftly. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tomer-Yerushalmi would not be reinstated, and the IDF placed her on leave pending a police investigation into the leak.
Military officials framed the issue as one of discipline and secrecy, not morality. But to many observers, the episode reveals a deeper rot: an army unwilling to confront crimes committed in its name.
For decades, Israel’s leaders have described the IDF as uniquely humane — a military that “warns civilians before striking” and “self-investigates” its own misconduct. But the forced resignation of the country’s top military lawyer for exposing an act of torture undercuts that claim.
If Israel’s army is truly the most moral in the world, why is the only person punished the one who showed us the truth?
What Comes Next
The criminal probe into the leak is ongoing. Several soldiers at Sde Teiman remain under investigation for severe abuse, and the video itself has been entered into evidence. Whether Tomer-Yerushalmi will face prosecution is still unclear.
What is clear, however, is that her ouster sends a chilling message to anyone inside Israel’s security apparatus who might consider blowing the whistle. In the end, the only act Israel’s “most moral army” couldn’t forgive — was honesty.