Police Extend Detention of Former Military Advocate General as Suspicion Grows in Sde Teiman Leak Case

Former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s detention was extended until Friday morning, as police said suspicions against her had “significantly strengthened” in the investigation into the Sde Teiman detention facility leak. Police also requested to hold former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomosh for another three days.

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court approved Tomer-Yerushalmi’s request to appear remotely “due to her situation,” apparently referring to her mental state. She appeared on Zoom against a backdrop of the Israeli flag, as is customary for suspects attending remand hearings online. Police argued that keeping her in custody remained necessary because of fears she could obstruct the ongoing probe.

According to police representatives, investigators have uncovered a “wall of silence” surrounding the former military advocate general and her associates. “The suspicion against her has grown significantly,” a police official told the court, citing continued concerns about obstruction. Authorities said the total number of suspects has risen to eight and confirmed they have recently questioned at least three additional individuals, with several others treated as witnesses.

Investigators revealed that they have obtained Tomer-Yerushalmi’s smartwatch and successfully accessed it using her password, though they noted that most data, especially WhatsApp messages and media, is not stored on Apple Watch devices. Police also seized notebooks in which she allegedly recorded conversations with her legal counsel. Her missing phone, believed to have been thrown into the sea near Tel Aviv, has not yet been located. She reportedly remembers her watch password but not where she discarded her iPhone.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned from her position last week, has admitted to authorizing the release of a video showing soldiers appearing to abuse a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility. Police suspect her of obstruction of justice, abuse of office, and breach of trust for allegedly leaking the footage to the media. She was arrested Sunday after disappearing for several hours along the Tel Aviv coast, prompting initial fears she had taken her own life. When found later that evening, her phone was missing, and investigators began to suspect she staged the incident to destroy evidence.

During her first interrogation since the arrest, Tomer-Yerushalmi denied staging a suicide attempt, claiming instead that she had genuinely tried to take her life, saying her “life had become hell.” Police rejected her account, accusing her of trying to avoid arrest.

Meanwhile, the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee convened to discuss possible conflicts of interest in the case, amid growing political pressure over how the Sde Teiman affair has been handled. The wife of one of the soldiers charged with abuse at the facility, identified only as Hila, told lawmakers that “justice and transparency” were needed for the detained soldiers. “We will expose everyone,” she said. “Just because [Attorney General] Gali Baharav-Miara didn’t show up doesn’t mean we won’t do everything to ensure that she is investigated.”

Baharav-Miara declined to attend the session, arguing that her presence, or that of other law enforcement officials, could interfere with the ongoing investigation. Coalition lawmakers accused her of trying to shield Tomer-Yerushalmi from scrutiny.

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech said during the meeting that the attorney general was “no less guilty than the military advocate general” in the affair. She claimed Baharav-Miara had helped to obscure the source of the leak during an internal probe conducted under her supervision by Deputy Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Gal Asael, which failed to implicate Tomer-Yerushalmi. “Even if she wasn’t directly involved,” Son Har-Melech alleged, “it is clear she worked alongside the military advocate general and was going to be used as a witness for the prosecution.”

As the investigation deepens, police say they are still searching for the missing phone, believed to contain key communications that could identify additional suspects. The former military advocate general remains in custody, pending further questioning.