BREAKING: IDF Chief Fires Former Military Advocate General, Effective Immediately
Israel's IDF chief has dismissed the former Military Advocate General over the Sde Teiman video leak scandal, stripping her of benefits as criminal indictments loom against her and other senior military prosecutors.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the immediate dismissal of former Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerusalmi from military service on Tuesday, citing the severity of the suspicions against her in the Sde Teiman detention facility video leak affair.
The decision ends months of legal and institutional limbo that began when Tomer-Yerusalmi resigned from her position last October following the opening of a criminal investigation against her. As a result of the dismissal, she will not receive the service completion bonus she would otherwise have been entitled to. The Chief of Staff also indicated that a reduction in rank would be considered once the criminal proceedings are concluded.
Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the decision, saying he commended Zamir "for deciding to dismiss Yifat Tomer-Yerusalmi from the IDF and to strip her of the Chief of Staff commendation and additional privileges."
The affair centers on suspicions that Tomer-Yerusalmi authorized or was aware of the leaking of sensitive video footage from the Sde Teiman military detention facility to a journalist. The IDF's military prosecution spokesperson is suspected of having carried out the actual leak with Tomer-Yerusalmi's knowledge. Investigators are also examining a separate suspicion that she submitted a false affidavit to the Supreme Court.
According to reports, Tomer-Yerusalmi admitted during her investigation to leaking the footage but argued the act did not constitute a criminal offense.
The case has exposed deep institutional fault lines within Israel's legal and security establishment. The police commissioner ordered investigation materials transferred to Justice Ministry legal adviser Yael Kutik rather than to the Attorney General's office, citing concerns over conflicts of interest. Kutik subsequently ruled that the Attorney General and her office are barred from handling the case, and referred the file to State Attorney Amit Eisman. Police are expected to submit indictment recommendations against Tomer-Yerusalmi and other senior military prosecution officials in the coming weeks.
The investigation, named "No Secrets" by police, also involved attempts to access a private WhatsApp group belonging to Tomer-Yerusalmi, titled "Yifat, Zamir, Daniel, Attorney-Client Privilege" — a name that itself became a subject of legal dispute over whether the materials were protected by attorney-client confidentiality.