IDF chief formally dismisses ex-military advocate general over Sde Teiman scandal

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has decided to officially dismiss ex-military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi from service over her involvement in the Sde Teiman leak scandal, the military says.

The IDF notes that Zamir suspended Tomer-Yerushalmi immediately after the allegations surfaced. The military says Zamir decided to move forward with her formal dismissal due to the “severity of the alleged acts and suspicions,” amid ongoing criminal proceedings.

The IDF says that her dismissal also means that Tomer-Yerushalmi will lose eligibility for financial benefits normally granted to senior officers upon completing their military service.

The military adds that Zamir believes a possible demotion in rank should be considered once “the facts in the criminal proceedings become clearer and the process is completed.”

The Sde Teiman affair centered on the leak of surveillance footage allegedly showing the abuse of a Palestinian detainee by IDF soldiers at the Sde Teiman detention facility. The scandal escalated in late October 2025, when Tomer-Yerushalmi became the prime suspect in the leak she was herself ostensibly investigating. She later resigned from her post and admitted to leaking the footage.

Tomer-Yerushalmi was also suspected of having staged a suicide attempt to dispose of her phone in the sea to cover up digital evidence related to the leaking and subsequent cover-up.

Charges against the five reservists accused of abusing the Palestinian prisoner were eventually dropped.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has been updated on Zamir’s decision.