Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi went missing for several hours and reportedly left a suicide note, before being found alive and well
November 3, 2025 10:27
The IDF's former top lawyer sparked a manhunt yesterday when she disappeared following her resignation from the post.
Authorities lost contact for much of the day with Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who until Friday was the military's advocate-general.
Her car was found abandoned at Hatzuk Beach near Tel Aviv, and it was widely reported that she had left a letter, described by some outlets as a "suicide note", at her home.
Authorities also believe that she may have disposed of her mobile phone in the sea, which meant she was unreachable for several hours. Israel’s Channel 12 even reported that police are considering the possibility that her disappearance was staged in order to get rid of the device.
Police and military search teams sought her for several hours, before she was ultimately found alive and well.
She has now been arrested over the leak and moved to a detention centre, where she is under heightened surveillance for her own protection, according to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned last week after admitting to authorising the leak of a video purportedly showing a group of soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility last year.
The military police had been the subject of intense criticism after arresting 9 of the soldiers allegedly involved in the incident, which she suggested prompted her to allow the release of the clip.
In her resignation letter, she wrote: “I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities.
"I bear full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from within the unit...from this responsibility also stems my decision to conclude my tenure as military advocate-general.”
The allegations drew widespread outrage and calls for an investigation into the soldiers’ conduct, though some far-right lawmakers condemned the leak and claimed the video “defamed” troops. Some also claimed that the video had been edited in a misleading manner, though this has not been proven.
Meanwhile, the government has criticised the fact that it was Tomer-Yerushalmi herself who oversaw the initial inquiry into the leak before a criminal investigation was opened by civilian police.
Prime Minister Netanyahu called the video "perhaps the most serious public relations attack Israel has experienced since its founding".
And Justice Minister Yariv Levin reignited his long-running row with Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of effectively shielding the advocate-general from justice.
Five soldiers were indicted for assault in February, though prosecutors dropped the charges of aggravated sodomy against them.
The men have denied all charges, while one of the suspects has suggested, through his legal team, that Tomer-Yerushalmi's resignation proves that the charges are flawed.
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