After Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi informed the IDF Chief of Staff of her resignation on Friday morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement later that afternoon clarifying that her dismissal had been his decision.
“This morning, I announced the dismissal of Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi from her position. I did not settle for placing her on leave,” said the Defense Minister.
He emphasized, “All necessary sanctions will be taken against her, beginning with the revocation of her rank. Anyone who slanders IDF soldiers and prioritizes the interests of Nukhba terrorists over theirs is unfit to wear the IDF uniform and belongs in prison.”
Meanwhile, former IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari addressed the matter, saying: “I have no connection to the leak of the video from Sde Teiman. I was unaware of any intention to release it and certainly did not approve it. At no point was the source of the leak brought to my attention. As I’ve said before, this is a serious incident that must be thoroughly investigated to uncover the full truth.”
Tomer-Yerushalmi was placed on leave earlier this week, following the opening of a criminal probe against her and investigation materials which clearly indicate that she instructed that materials from the Sde Teiman base be passed to the mediaand on the day the video was leaked, she was informed in advance, many hours before publication, of the intention to leak it.
In the leaked video, soldiers from the elite Force 100 prison intervention unit are seen allegedly abusing a captured Hamas terrorist. The accusations have been under intense dispute since they were published, including claims that the video was doctored. Several of the soldiers involved were taken for investigation.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
