Israeli police have arrested a former military prosecutor for leaking a video that appears to show soldiers abusing Palestinian detainees.
Maj. Gen. Ifat Tomer El-Salmi was detained overnight on Monday following a scandal that broke after a video leaked, resigned, and disappeared, the country’s Minister of National Security said.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the video leak was perhaps the harshest public relations attack since Israel’s founding.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said Tomer Yerushalmi’s arrest had triggered a “political and legal storm in Israel” and said the spotlight on the leaker was overshadowing the focus on the original crime.
“At the expense of discussing how this crime actually happened, there is so much focus on the fact that this video has been leaked, and the fact that the United Nations is saying that this type of crime is being committed systematically,” Odeh said.
“In a way, by focusing on this woman and the fact that she leaked the video, it’s a way to distract from the fact that these crimes are happening.”
Torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees by Israel has been reported for many years. However, since Israel’s recent war in Gaza, such practices have increased, and some Israeli politicians have even defended them.
At least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations.
The bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel also bear signs of torture, with many having marks on their bodies and some still blindfolded or handcuffed. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said some of the bodies were missing limbs and teeth, and some appeared to have suffered burns.
remanded in custody until Wednesday
Tomer Yerushalmi went missing for several hours on Sunday after announcing his resignation, sparking speculation that he may have attempted suicide.
Tomer Yerushalmi acknowledged that his office released the video to the media last year, according to a copy of his resignation letter released by Israeli media on Friday. Five reservists were later charged with mistreating prisoners of war.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said on Telegram on Monday: “In light of last night’s events, it has been agreed that prison authorities will act with extra vigilance to ensure the safety of detainees within our detention centres.”
The statement did not say what crime she was charged with.
A Tel Aviv court ordered Tomer Yerushalmi’s remand until noon Wednesday, according to Israeli media.
Public broadcaster Suga reported that she is suspected of “fraud and breach of trust by a public official, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and leaking information.”
Former military chief prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was also arrested overnight in connection with the case and appeared in court on Monday, Israel Army Radio reported.
“Severe violence”
On Friday, the Israeli military announced that Tomer Yerushalmi had resigned from his post pending an investigation into leaked footage filmed last year at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel.
The incident began in August 2024, when Israel’s Channel 12 broadcast footage from Sde Teiman, a detention center for Palestinians taken during the Gaza war.
Surveillance camera footage appeared to show that the soldiers were carrying out the illegal act, although it was not explicitly shown, as it appeared to be carried out behind troops holding shields.
The video was picked up by multiple media outlets and sparked international outrage and protests in Israel.
In February, the Israeli military announced that it had filed charges against five reservists in connection with abuses at Sde Teiman.
They were charged with “acting with violent force against a detainee, including stabbing the detainee in the buttocks with a sharp object that penetrated the detainee’s rectum area.”
It added: “The acts of violence caused severe physical injuries to the detainee, including cracked ribs, punctured lungs, and lacerations inside the rectum.”
According to the indictment, the abuse occurred during a July 5, 2024 search for the detainee.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after a cabinet meeting on Sunday, slammed the video leak, labeling it perhaps the “harsh public relations attack” on Israel in his country’s history.
