Israeli mil. prosecutor found after Sde Teiman abuse leak, resignation
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Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned over the Sde Teiman torture leak, was found safe after a police search sparked by her sudden disappearance.
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Israeli Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, at the supreme court in occupied al-Quds on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (AP)
Israeli media reported on Sunday that Israeli Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was found safe and in good health, hours after her sudden disappearance triggered a nationwide search.
Earlier in the day, Channel 12 had reported that unofficial assessments suggested Yerushalmi might have attempted suicide, noting that she left a message for her family before vanishing, prompting them to contact the police.
According to the reports, police launched a large-scale search after losing contact with Yerushalmi for several hours. Her car was later found abandoned on the Tel Aviv coastline.
Military and police launched urgent search
A spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces said that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had ordered all available resources mobilized to locate the missing officer “as quickly as possible.”
The police later confirmed that Yerushalmi was located safe and unharmed. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance have not yet been disclosed.
Yerushalmi had submitted her resignation on Friday amid an ongoing scandal involving the leak of a video documenting the torture of a Palestinian prisoner inside the Sde Teiman detention facility in al-Naqab.
Resignation followed leak of prisoner abuse footage
The video, which showed Israeli soldiers assaulting a bound detainee, sparked widespread controversy and calls for accountability within the military establishment.
According to Israeli Army Radio’s military correspondent Doron Kadosh, Yerushalmi admitted to the Chief of Staff that she had authorized the release of investigative materials related to the case, effectively confirming her role in the leak.
Her resignation was accepted immediately, following weeks of mounting political and military tension over the exposure of systematic abuse inside Israeli detention centers.
Israeli scandals intensify
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an urgent investigation into a series of security leaks involving "state secrets" since the start of the war on Gaza, which have sparked a growing scandal, implicating officials within the premier's office, including his security spokesperson.
In a post on the social media platform X, Netanyahu shared a copy of his formal request to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling for an immediate probe. “Since the beginning of the war, we’ve witnessed a flood of serious leaks, disclosing state secrets,” he wrote, though he did not specify details related to his office.
He outlined that these leaks originated from high-level security discussions, including Cabinet meetings, deliberations of the now-dissolved war council, meetings of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Directorate, and other security forums.
In his letter to Baharav-Miara, Netanyahu expressed frustration over the lack of action on his repeated requests to investigate the leaks, noting that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar had recently advised him to submit a formal request for an investigation.
