Israeli army lawyers warned Gaza tactics may be war crimes: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
Today 21:25

US intelligence has revealed that Israeli army lawyers raised internal warnings over the legality of Gaza operations, fearing actions could amount to war crimes.

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Bodies of unidentified Palestinians returned from “Israel” are buried in a mass grave in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025 (AP)

US intelligence assessments gathered during the first year of the war on Gaza reveal that senior Israeli military legal advisors raised serious concerns about the legality of the Israeli actions, Reuters reported, citing five former US officials.

The revelations come amid mounting scrutiny over "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza, which, since October 2023, has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Furthermore, internal military lawyers reportedly feared that the scale and nature of the airstrikes may amount to war crimes. Intelligence shared with US officials indicated that legal advisors within the Israeli military raised alarms over the deliberate targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers.

One former US official told Reuters that intelligence on these concerns "was among the most alarming information" delivered to senior US policymakers throughout the war. The report highlights that US officials were particularly troubled by the disproportionate civilian death toll, which far exceeded what international standards might consider lawful collateral damage.

Wider context

In May 2024, the US acknowledged for the first time in an official report that there were “reasonable concerns” that "Israel" may have violated international humanitarian law. However, Washington’s policy remained unchanged. Under the administration of US President Donald Trump, the US not only continued to support the occupation but also ramped up efforts to shield it from international accountability.

This included intensifying pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and intervening to suppress visual evidence of war crimes. According to sources, the US government facilitated the removal of hundreds of videos from YouTube that documented potential Israeli violations in Gaza.

The controversy has also triggered internal fallout in "Israel".

In the latest scandal, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Israeli military’s top legal official, resigned after reportedly leaking footage of harrowing sexual abuse against a Palestinian detainee. Her resignation came amid increasing efforts within the military command to shut down war crimes investigations and silence whistleblowers.

These revelations underscore growing international unease, not just about the catastrophic human toll in Gaza, but also about the mechanisms being used to obscure accountability and shield perpetrators from justice.

Ex-Israeli military prosecutor hospitalized after drug overdose

Former military prosecutor Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was hospitalized following a suspected drug overdose at her home, Israeli media reported.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), emergency medical teams responded to a call from Tomer-Yerushalmi’s residence, providing first aid on-site before transferring her to a hospital for further medical evaluation.

The incident comes shortly after a court on Friday released Tomer-Yerushalmi to a 10-day house arrest, pending an investigation into her alleged involvement in leaking footage of Israeli occupation forces sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee in the Sde Teiman detention camp.

Under the court order, she may leave her residence only to meet her defense lawyers and is barred from contacting other suspects in the case for 55 days.

Discarded phone found at Tel Aviv beach

The case took an unexpected turn when an Israeli woman discovered a mobile phone at a depth of about two meters while swimming off Tel Aviv’s Tsuk Beach. The device, later identified as belonging to Tomer-Yerushalmi, displayed a photo of her with a young woman when powered on. Authorities confirmed the phone had been found near the location where Tomer-Yerushalmi was last seen before her temporary disappearance last week.

When Tomer-Yerushalmi was reported missing, she was in the coastal city of Herzliya, where she had left a note for her family and abandoned her car nearby. The discovery of the note, combined with her being unreachable by phone, raised fears among authorities that she might attempt suicide. She was later located safely in Herzliya, ending the brief but tense disappearance.

As of Sunday, Israeli police and military prosecutors have not released an official statement detailing the status of the investigation.

Harrowing footage

The leaked footage at the centre of the investigation in the Sde Teiman detention facility shows masked Israeli troops leading a blindfolded and bound Palestinian detainee away from a group of fellow detainees, then surrounding him behind riot shields to obscure visibility. Medical records indicate the detainee suffered a ruptured bowel, severe anorectal injuries, lung damage, and broken ribs, requiring surgery.

Tomer‑Yerushalmi admitted to authorizing the leak of the video and is now under investigation for obstruction of justice, abuse of office, unauthorized release of classified information, and breach of trust.