Sat Nov 01 14:49:46 UTC 2025: Top Israeli Military Lawyer Resigns After Leaking Video of Alleged Prisoner Rape
Tel Aviv – Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Israeli military’s top lawyer, has resigned from her post after admitting to leaking a video showing the alleged gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman prison facility last August.
The video, which surfaced amid a right-wing backlash against the arrest of soldiers accused of the rape, depicts soldiers leading a blindfolded prisoner away before surrounding him with riot shields. According to the original indictment, the prisoner was then subjected to severe abuse, including kicking, stomping, beatings, and the use of a taser. Medical records indicate the victim suffered severe internal injuries requiring surgery.
In her resignation statement, Tomer-Yerushalmi cited pressure from right-wing figures regarding her investigation as the reason for leaking the footage. She claimed she was countering “false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities.”
While nine soldiers were initially detained, only five were later indicted, charged with “severely abusing” the detainee, but not with rape. The trial is ongoing. The United Nations has criticized the downgraded charges, suggesting they could lead to a more lenient punishment despite the evidence.
The case has become a lightning rod for political tensions in Israel. Far-right politicians, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have vocally supported the accused soldiers. Ben-Gvir publicly called on Tomer-Yerushalmi to “take your hands off the reservists!” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to the accused as “heroes, not villains.”
Following Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation, Smotrich accused her and the judicial system of corruption and launched what he called an “anti-Semitic blood libel” against the military. Ben-Gvir echoed this sentiment, calling for accountability for all those involved in leaking the footage.
The controversy surrounding the Sde Teiman facility extends beyond the alleged rape. A recent UN report detailed allegations of systematic abuse at the facility, including shackling, stress positions, denial of basic necessities, and various forms of sexual violence against detainees, including children.
Additionally, documents accompanying the bodies of 135 Palestinians returned to Gaza last week, who had been held at Sde Teiman, revealed that many were blindfolded with hands tied behind their backs, further raising concerns about conditions at the facility.
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