Israeli court extends IOF official's detention over Sde Teiman scandal
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The Israeli magistrate court has extended Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi's detention for an additional three days amid the continued investigation into the Sde Teiman leak.
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Israeli Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi at the Supreme Court in occupied al-Quds, Oct. 1, 2024 (AP)
The Israeli magistrate court approved a request by the occupation police to extend the detention of former Military Advocate General, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi for an additional three days, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
The decision comes as investigations continue into Tomer-Yerushalmi's involvement in leaking a video that captured the brutal assault of a Palestinian prisoner inside the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility last year.
Her arrest marked a major development in a case that has further exposed the complicity of "Israel’s" judicial system and intensified global scrutiny of a military waging what a UN commission has unequivocally asserted is a genocidal war on Gaza.
The probe
The case ignited fury among right-wing politicians and commentators, who hailed the accused soldiers as “heroes” and denounced military investigators as "traitors", while many demanded that the charges against the troops be dropped altogether.
Israeli media reported that Tomer-Yerushalmi was detained on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and unauthorised disclosure of official information. Her arrest, legal analysts say, underscores growing tensions within "Israel’s" institutions over the balance between military loyalty and judicial independence, and raises difficult questions about the entity's ability to "defend" itself in international courts.
The leak under investigation was part of a broader probe into human rights violations at the Sde Teiman facility, where "Israel" had detained over 1,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in 2023.
The footage, aired in August 2024, showed a detainee lying face down before being surrounded by soldiers using riot shields, after which he was removed from view, beaten severely, and sexually abused. He was later hospitalized with multiple severe injuries.
Five IOF reservists were indicted for the assault, which took place on July 5, 2024. The indictment was based on extensive visual documentation and medical reports obtained during a Military Police investigation.
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigns
Last Friday, Israeli security minister Israel Katz announced the dismissal of Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi from her position. He confirmed that she “will not return to her duties” due to her responsibility for the leak. Katz added that “everyone who contributed to defaming soldiers in the Sde Teiman case will be prosecuted.”
Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted responsibility for the leak and submitted her resignation on the same day, amid the uproar sparked within the Israeli military establishment. The leak is one of the most serious in the history of the Israeli occupation forces, and has raised internal tensions and triggered widespread backlash.
Observers say the case underscores a growing rift within the Israeli military and security apparatus. It comes at a time of heightened scrutiny and mounting accusations of systematic violations against Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers, particularly at the Sde Teiman facility.
Read more: Sde Teiman horrors: 135 Palestinian bodies ‘Israel’ returned mutilated
