Fresh Twist in Sde Teiman Scandal: Top Prosecutor Benched Over Leak Probe

The Sde Teiman abuse case just took another wild turn. A senior IDF prosecutor has been yanked from duty and placed on forced leave while investigators dig into whether he leaked sensitive files to the Military Advocate General’s office and possibly to the press.

The officer, a lieutenant colonel who handled operational prosecutions, was grilled under caution last week. According to Army Radio’s Doron Kedmi, he had access to everything: surveillance videos, polygraph results, and Unit 100’s full investigative file on the July 2024 incident, where five reservists were charged with brutally abusing a Gaza detainee

Sources say the materials ended up with MAG staff, including Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the IDF’s top legal chief who resigned Friday after admitting she authorized the leak of the abuse video itself to fight “incitement.” She was arrested Sunday night after briefly going off the radar.

Investigators now believe Tomer-Yerushalmi told subordinates to pull files from the prosecutor specifically to feed them to media outlets. It’s still unclear if the lieutenant colonel knew the endgame.

The IDF hasn’t commented officially, but a colonel from the Chief Military Prosecutor’s office has already stepped in to keep the case moving.

Adding to the chaos: defense lawyers for the accused soldiers got word yesterday that the main detainee, a suspected Hamas member at the center of the case, was quietly released to Gaza in the latest prisoner swap.

The notice came from the prosecutor’s office, signed “on behalf of the operational prosecutor”… even though he was already on leave.

This mess started last summer when military police raided the Sde Teiman detention center in the Negev, sparking far-right riots and a political firestorm.

The leaked video went viral, and when the leak was discovered, Tomer-Yerushalmi stepped down. In her resignation letter, she called the detainees “the worst kind of terrorists” but insisted the army had to investigate, no matter what.

Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a step toward accountability.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir? He slammed the probe as “anti-democratic” and bad for troop morale.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the whole thing is damaging Israel’s image and the IDF’s credibility.

The reservists say they were just subduing a violent prisoner. Their lawyers warn the leak scandal could collapse the entire case.

The investigation is ongoing, and it’s getting messier by the day.