A soldier was accused of sexual acts against an Arab militant.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Chief Military Prosecutor Ifat Tomer-Yerushalmi has been temporarily suspended from her position and will not return to her duties while the investigation is ongoing.
At this stage, there is no talk of dismissing the Chief Military Prosecutor. A decision will be made based on the results of the investigation. However, Katz has already stated: "I will ensure that justice prevails for all those involved in the bloody libel against IDF soldiers in 'Sde-Teyman'."
This was reported by Yoav Zeitun on the Ynet website and other media outlets. The publication cites the following position of the Defense Minister: Tomer-Yerushalmi will not be able to return to her position given the seriousness of the suspicions and the delicacy of the role of the Chief Military Prosecutor, who is responsible for upholding the law and establishing legal norms in the IDF; a replacement will soon need to be appointed, and the Defense Minister intends to start the process of appointing a new Chief Military Prosecutor as soon as possible.
After the announcement of the Defense Minister's order, Ifat Tomer-Yerushalmi met with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and submitted an official resignation request from her position.
On October 30, a day after the announcement of the commencement of a criminal investigation regarding the publication of a video allegedly filmed in the 'Sde-Teyman' isolation facility, several media outlets reported that the investigation has evidence that Chief Military Prosecutor Major General Ifat Tomer-Yerushalmi ordered the transfer of the video recording to journalists. This was specifically mentioned by journalist Doron Kadosh from 'Galei Tzahal'.
The order to initiate a criminal investigation into the involvement of military prosecution officers in the fabricated 'leak' was made after an internal investigation initiated by the Shin Bet. According to Channel 13 of ITV, the reason for starting the investigation was the result of a polygraph test of one of the military prosecution employees.
The officer failed the test, after which the new head of the General Security Service, David Zini, informed IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir about the details that became known as a result, and he passed the information to the government's legal advisor, Gali Ba'arav-Miara. By her decision and with the consent of the Attorney General and the head of the police investigation department, it was decided to initiate a criminal investigation.
It is worth noting that in the summer of 2024, military police detained nine soldiers from Unit 100, which is responsible for ensuring the security and guarding of imprisoned terrorists, on suspicion of assault and indecent acts against a detained 'Nukhba' militant. The arrest caused a wave of outrage, with hundreds of citizens, including Knesset members from the right-wing camp, arriving at the 'Sde-Teyman' base, and some even broke into its territory in an attempt to prevent the detention. Shortly thereafter, Channel 12 of ITV published a video recording from the isolation facility, which, according to the authors, shows the actions of soldiers during the incident.
In February 2025, an indictment was filed against five reservists who served in the 'Sde-Teyman' isolation facility.
During the scandal, human rights activists, families of fallen soldiers, and Knesset members repeatedly demanded an investigation into the leak of investigative information, the distorted presentation of which affected the course of the investigation and shaped negative public opinion.
Only after the change of the head of the Shin Bet did "new information appear," and the government's legal advisor Gali Ba'arav-Miara ordered the initiation of a criminal investigation into the leak of investigative materials from 'Sde-Teyman'. Chief Military Prosecutor Ifat Tomer-Yerushalmi submitted a request for leave during the proceedings.
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