After Covering Up IDF's Crimes, Military Advocate General Resigns Over Her Own Scandal

Since September 2021, when she was appointed as the military advocate general, major general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi has systematically worked to cover up the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers and officers in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and military detention facilities – and even more so since the outbreak of the war in October 2023.

She not only denied justice to the Palestinian victims, but also played a significant role in enabling the crimes themselves. The policy of immunity she promoted eliminated any deterrence toward the perpetrators and encouraged them – and others – to continue committing such acts and to expand the circle of victims.

In addition, as the chief legal adviser to the IDF and the chief of staff, she provided a “legal seal of approval” for decisions and policies amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Major general Tomer-Yerushalmi’s cover-up apparatus operated with clockwork precision – until the case of security prisoner “S.” in "Shde Teiman" facility, on July 5, 2024. According to the indictment filed in February 2025, soldiers “kicked the detainee, stepped on him, stood on his body, beat and shoved him all over, including with a baton; dragged him across the floor; and used a taser (electric stun weapon) on him, including on his head. One soldier stabbed the detainee in the buttocks with a sharp object that pierced near his anus, causing a tear in his rectal wall.

Another soldier then ordered the detainee to insert a baton into his mouth.” The indictment noted that throughout the assault, “the detainee screamed in pain.”

Dozens of Palestinian detainees have died under 'mysterious circumstances'

Since the outbreak of the war, dozens of Palestinian detainees have died under “mysterious circumstances,” and many others who were later released reported being subjected to torture – in some cases, sexual torture as well.

The only thing that set “S.” apart from them was that a staff member at the "Sde Teiman" facility noticed heavy bleeding on his trousers. He was taken to the detention center’s clinic, where a doctor ordered his transfer to a civilian hospital.

It is not uncommon for IDF soldiers and officers to withhold Palestinian detainees they have abused or tortured from being transferred to civilian hospitals. Even when detainees are brought to such facilities, some hospitals in Israel assign them only a “temporary number” instead of their real identification number, making it difficult or even impossible to access their medical records later, should anyone wish to document or prove what happened to them.

In S.'s case, his condition was very severe. He underwent a surgical procedure at the hospital, which involved attaching the large intestine to the abdominal wall and creating a stoma. After three and a half months, he underwent a second surgery to remove the stoma.

Major general Tomer-Yerushalmi found herself at an impasse. This was a solidly documented case in a civilian hospital. She couldn’t simply hack into the hospital’s computer system and delete the record, so she had no choice but to initiate an investigation. Once witnesses were identified and security camera footage of the incident surfaced, there was no turning back for her.

The military advocate generals in Israel usually do not attract public or political attention and often remain anonymous. Unfortunately for Tomer-Yerushalmi, she serves in the role precisely at a time when Netanyahu and his government – and the toxic apparatus serving them – have declared war on law enforcement agencies, fueled by nationalism and racism. The “Sde Teiman” case fell into their hands like ripe fruit, and Tomer-Yerushalmi found herself, unwillingly, thrust into the spotlight as a primary target of this machine.

Once the investigation into the assault on "S." was opened, Tomer-Yerushalmi found herself at the centre of a political campaign. She was accused of neglecting IDF soldiers, and even of treason and aiding Hamas. On July 29, 2024, when military police arrived at the “Sde Teiman” facility to detain some of the soldiers involved for questioning, coalition Knesset members stormed it along with far-right activists in an attempt to prevent the arrests. Some of the activists physically attacked the military police.

On August 6, 2024, journalist Guy Peleg revealed the footage of the incident on Channel 12 News, sparking an uproar in Israel and internationally. The defense attorneys for the accused soldiers claimed that the video had been edited and demanded an investigation into the leak. Since this was an exceptional and sensitive investigation, only a select few had access to it, which fueled a variety of conspiracy theories – timed conveniently to serve Netanyahu’s campaign against the investigations and criminal proceedings involving his advisors in the “Qatar-Gate” case and the leak to the Bild newspaper.

The campaign surrounding the leak of the abuse footage from “Sde Teiman” and the petitions to the high court of justice led to the opening of an inquiry. In coordination between the attorney general and the military advocate general, it was decided that major general Tomer-Yerushalmi’s deputy would lead it.

This was explained by deputy colonel Gal Asahel during a Knesset Constitution Committee hearing on January 29, 2025. Subsequently, the attorney general informed the High Court of Justice that it had been decided there was no point in continuing the investigation, as it was impossible to determine the source of the leak.

Recently, following a polygraph test of the spokesperson for the military advocate general’s office, who was a candidate for promotion, it was revealed that major general Tomer-Yerushalmi herself had been involved in the leak. After initially announcing that she would take a “leave of absence,” she submitted her resignation letter this morning.

In a letter published to the media, major general Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted, “I authorised the release of material to the press in an attempt to counter false propaganda against law enforcement bodies in the military.”

False information presented to court

In other words, for a year and a half, false information was presented on her behalf to high court judges, to judges in the criminal proceedings against the accused soldiers, and during a Knesset hearing. Accordingly, she is expected to be investigated herself on suspicion of offenses including providing false information to the court, obstruction of justice, forgery, and more.

As the story began to unfold, it seemed puzzling that the very person responsible for the IDF’s cover-up mechanism would leak a video that reinforced S.’s claims of violence and sexual assault at “Sde Teiman”, as well as allegations that Israel operates torture facilities.

Her letter solved the “mystery” – for major general Tomer-Yerushalmi, it was important to preserve her image in Israel and the IDF as the “chief cover-up officer.” She wanted to convince the public that she had launched a criminal investigation against IDF soldiers over such serious allegations only because she had no other choice.

While within Israel the affair is still expected to develop and make waves – perhaps even helping Prime Minister Netanyahu in his election campaign under the claim that the “deep state” must be fought – for the Palestinian victims and the international community, the conclusions should be unequivocal: the State of Israel and its law enforcement agencies have no capacity to investigate the crimes committed and continuing to be committed against Palestinians.

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