Israel’s top military legal officer Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week, has been arrested over the leak of a video showing soldiers brutally assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military prison.
Israeli police detained outgoing Military Advocate General Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and retired Colonel Matan Solomesh, the army’s former chief military prosecutor, as part of an ongoing investigation into the unauthorised release of classified footage showing the abuse of a Palestinian detainee in southern Israel.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice and breach of trust. Police accuse her of leaking the footage to the media, lying to senior military officials and the Supreme Court, and providing false testimony during the inquiry. The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court has extended her detention by three days. Judge Shelly Kotin said the allegations involve fraud, abuse of power, and disclosure of information by a public servant, adding that her continued custody was warranted.
KAN also reported that messages and testimony suggest Solomesh knew Tomer-Yerushalmi was behind the leak but failed to disclose it during an internal probe. His detention was extended for five days.
Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation on Friday marked the end of her term that began in 2021, following weeks of controversy over the leak. In her resignation letter to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, published by Haaretz, she admitted authorising the material’s release “to counter false propaganda against the military law-enforcement system,” taking “full responsibility” for what was published.
The video, aired by Israel’s N12 News in August 2024, showed Israeli soldiers surrounding a handcuffed Palestinian detainee lying face-down and beating him with riot shields. The prisoner, whose identity was not revealed, was later hospitalised with severe injuries.
In February, military prosecutors charged five soldiers with assault, saying they had beaten the detainee on 5 July 2024, causing multiple fractures and internal rectal tearing. A court imposed a gag order on their identities, and they remain free under no restrictive conditions.
The footage, filmed inside the Sde Teiman detention facility, triggered local and international outrage and renewed calls for its closure. Rights groups have long alleged mistreatment of Palestinians held there, while the army maintains that such incidents are isolated and under investigation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the Sde Teiman incident was “the most damaging” to Israel’s image and that of its army. Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi would not return to her post, citing “the gravity of the suspicions,” while far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said she was being kept under strict supervision in custody “for her own safety.”
Tomer-Yerushalmi’s case has divided public opinion in Israel, with right-wing politicians portraying her as disloyal, while others argue her actions exposed serious ethical lapses within the ranks of the military.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow ear...
Poland has asked the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291.3 million) fine on Meta, accusing the technology company of failing to...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remai...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
The inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum brought together policymakers, investors and technology companies as Central Asia looks to build a more connected financial system and compete for a bigger share of global fintech investment.
Uzbekistan's region of Karakalpakstan is developing three cryptocurrency mining facilities and three data centers with a combined investment of $5.1 billion, as the region seeks to attract larger and higher-quality investments.
A restaurant payment with a Visa card in Damascus has become a symbol of Syria’s reconnection with the global financial system.
The Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum will bring more than 6,000 policymakers, investors and technology leaders from 74 countries to Tashkent, as Central Asia seeks a bigger role in the global fintech landscape.
Kazakhstan is considering the Baku-Supsa pipeline as an alternative oil export route after Caspian Pipeline Consortium disruptions cost the country an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of oil, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment