The Reward That Never Arrived: Woman Who Found MAG's Phone Demands Promised Prize Money

Noa Itiel, the honest Israeli citizen who located the lost phone of former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi three weeks ago, is now fighting in court for the hundreds of thousands of shekels in reward money that were publicly promised to whoever found the sensitive device. Itiel was walking on Tzuk Beach in Tel Aviv, the exact area where the IDF and police had been desperately searching, when she spotted the phone underwater. She immediately called the police and handed it over. Only later was it confirmed to be the MAG’s phone containing classified material.

Israel Hayom reported that during the frantic search, several prominent individuals took to the media and announced large cash rewards:

When the phone was found, representatives of the reward-offerers approached Itiel on the beach and demanded she give it to them directly. She refused, insisting it was evidence that must go to the authorities, and summoned police on the spot.Now those same individuals are refusing to pay, claiming she “didn’t deliver the phone to us personally.”

Itiel’s attorneys, Adv. Aviel Aharon and Adv. Helena Ben-Gal, have sent formal warning letters before suit, citing clear Israeli law: a public reward offer is a binding unilateral contract the moment someone fulfills its conditions (Contracts Law and Supreme Court precedent CA 6295/16).

The lawyers explained that she acted exactly as a responsible citizen should, handing potential classified material straight to police. The law is crystal-clear: she earned every agurah (penny) that was promised in public.

Noa herself added: “I need the money, and part of it I intend to donate tzedaka. I simply want people to keep their word. If someone announces a reward on every channel in Israel, they should stand behind it.”

So far, none of the reward-offerers have transferred the money. Legal action is expected within days if the promises remain unfulfilled.