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The IDF’s top lawyer is expected to permanently step down amid a criminal investigation into the leak of a video from a military detention facility that allegedly shows soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee, senior IDF legal officials said on Thursday. Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer‑Yerushalmi went on leave on Wednesday after the Israel Police’s Investigations & Intelligence Division — under the authority of Attorney General Gali Baharav‑Miara — took control of the case. The move was justified by officials as necessary to avoid the appearance of the army probing itself. Her office has retained attorney Dori Klagsbald to advise her as she prepares to provide her account — initially as a witness — before investigators consider upgrading her status to that of a suspect. Recent signs from the probe suggest the leak may have originated from within her office. The military is already looking for a successor, with Col. Ofira Elkabets Rotshtein, previously the senior military advocate, emerging as a leading candidate. Other contenders include retired prosecutorial figures such as Doron Ben‑Barak and Avi Halabi. Tomer‑Yerushalmi's deputy, Col. Gal Asael, appears to have fallen out of consideration after leading the internal review that cleared the office of any leak last year. Military legal officials estimate that Tomer‑Yerushalmi will not return to her position and will resign from the military in connection with the affair. “She is the moral compass of the General Staff, a personal example and fulfillment of the army’s values and orders. Even if she passively approved the leak, she no longer has a place in the IDF. The chief of staff must find her replacement immediately,” officials said, identifying Brig. Gen. Roni Katzir, head of the International Law Department in the Military Advocate General’s Corps, as a worthy option — though they noted the challenge of promptly replacing such a key role amid wartime. IDF officials suspect that a staffer in Tomer-Yerushalmi’s office may be behind the leak of the controversial Sde Teiman video. The individual was questioned in recent days and reportedly failed a polygraph test, intensifying concerns that the leak came from within the military prosecution. Police have since confiscated personal electronic devices, including a computer, for forensic examination. The video from Sde Teiman was released in August 2024, allegedly showing IDF soldiers committing serious offenses against Palestinian detainees. After its publication, claims surfaced that the footage was selectively edited and composed of two separate clips. The Choosing Life forum—representing bereaved families and victims of terrorism—petitioned the High Court of Justice to launch a criminal investigation into the leak, arguing that its release during the war in Gaza endangered soldiers’ lives and damaged Israel’s international standing. “The investigation must be thorough to uncover the truth and hold accountable those who leaked and edited the doctored footage,” the group said. The video surfaced following the arrest of Unit 100 reservists, five of whom were later charged with abusing a Palestinian security detainee. The arrests sparked widespread protests, including intrusions into military bases by right-wing activists. Lawyers for the reservists denied that any sexual offenses occurred during the detention and called for an investigation into the leak, as well as a formal clarification that no such offenses had taken place, contrary to what the edited footage allegedly implied.
