Top IDF lawyer quits over video leak of detainee sexual abuse

The footage reportedly shows Israeli soldiers at a military base assaulting a Palestinian prisoner

The Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) top military lawyer has quit after admitting she approved the leak of a video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian prisoner at a military base.

Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi announced her resignation on Friday, saying she had authorized the release of surveillance footage from Sde Teiman near the Gaza border, which also serves as a detention site. The video, filmed in early July 2024, showed soldiers taking aside a detainee lying face down, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility as they allegedly carried out the abuse. The man was later taken for treatment for severe injuries. The leaked clip was aired by Israel’s Channel 12 news that August.

In her resignation letter published by The Times of Israel on Friday, Tomer-Yerushalmi said she approved the release “in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities.” 

She wrote that while those detained at Sde Teiman “are terrorists and terror operatives of the worst kind,” that does not diminish the duty to investigate when there is “reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee.” 

Commenting on her resignation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Anyone who spreads blood libels against IDF soldiers is not worthy of wearing the IDF uniform.” 

Following the Sde Teiman incident, five reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to a detainee, which they have denied. The case sparked outrage among coalition politicians and right-wing activists. Dozens of protesters stormed the military base in an attempt to block the arrests.

READ MORE: IDF investigating soldiers for abusing dead Palestinians

The facility, partially converted into a detention camp for Palestinians suspected of militant activity, has faced allegations of widespread torture and abuse. Over 1,000 detainees from Gaza have reportedly passed through the base, including men accused of taking part in Hamas’ October 7 attack, which left some 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, Israeli military action has killed over 68,000 Palestinians since.

The resignation adds to growing scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, as both sides say they remain committed to a US-brokered truce.