Identity of soldier who died in jail while facing security charges in 2021 cleared for publication

The name of an IDF intelligence officer who died under mysterious circumstances while in jail facing security charges in 2021 is now permitted for publication.

Senior Academic Officer (the equivalent of captain) Tomer Eiges was jailed under accusations of grave security offenses. He was found dead in his cell in May 2021, but there was no clear sign of the cause of his death.

An autopsy in Israel, as well as a blood test at a specialized forensic laboratory in the United States, were inconclusive.

The entire case, including Eiges’s identity, had been subjected to both military censorship and court-issued gag orders, despite the fact that the information — including his full name and picture — was widely available online since the incident.

Eiges was facing expected charges for nearly two dozen offenses, as well as a likely 10-year-or-longer prison sentence.

Then-IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi said the officer had nearly caused damage to a state secret, but the damage was prevented at the last minute, following his arrest.

He was being held in a military prison while his attorneys and military prosecutors were negotiating a potential plea deal.

On the night of May 16, 2021, he was found in serious condition in his cell and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.

Though no official cause of death has been determined according to the IDF, military officials indicated off the record that it appeared to be a suicide.