Israeli Military Lawyer Resigns Amid Gang Rape Investigation

Strategic Insights -

Israel's top military lawyer, Major-General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has resigned after leaking footage showing the gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner in August last year. The video, which was initially leaked to the press in early August, sparked a right-wing backlash and pressure on Tomer-Yerushalmi's investigation. In her resignation statement, she blamed the pressure from the right-wing for her decision to leak the footage, claiming she was countering "false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities."

The leaked footage showed soldiers grabbing and leading away a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner before surrounding him with riot shields to obscure the rape. The original indictment stated that the accused soldiers kicked, stomped on, and dragged the prisoner's body along the ground, inflicting severe injuries, including a ruptured bowel, anal and lung injuries, and broken ribs. The prisoner later required surgery.

Key Takeaways:

  • At least nine soldiers were detained in connection with the gang rape, with all but five released relatively quickly. Five soldiers remain under indictment for "severely abusing" the detainee, with the trial ongoing.
  • A United Nations commission found that downgrading the indictment, despite the evidence of rape, would result in a more lenient punishment if there is a conviction.
  • Israeli far-right politicians, including Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have defended the accused soldiers, with some labeling them as "heroes" and calling for an investigation into the leaking of the video.
  • Critics, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have welcomed Tomer-Yerushalmi's resignation, accusing her and the judicial system of corruption and launching an "anti-Semitic blood libel" against the military.
  • Other crimes have been committed at Sde Teiman prison against Palestinians, with at least 135 mutilated bodies returned to Palestinian officials in Gaza having been held at the prison, showing evidence of torture and abuse.
  • Detainees at Sde Teiman, including children, have been regularly subjected to shackling, forced into stress positions, denied toilets and showers, and beaten, with some experiencing sexual violence.

Statistics:

  • 9 soldiers detained in connection with the gang rape
  • 5 soldiers remain under indictment for "severely abusing" the detainee
  • 135 bodies mutilated and returned to Palestinian officials in Gaza, showing evidence of torture and abuse
  • 15 minutes: the length of time the accused soldiers allegedly raped the Palestinian prisoner
  • 15-20 times: the prisoner's body was kicked, according to the original indictment
  • 10 times: the prisoner's body was stomped on, according to the original indictment
  • 2: the number of broken ribs suffered by the prisoner

Sources:

  • "Everything is legitimate, Israeli leaders defend soldiers accused of rape" by Al Jazeera (September 9, 2024)
  • "A coup d'état? Israel's Netanyahu pushes ahead with his judicial changes" by Al Jazeera (April 1, 2025)
  • "What we know about the torture, abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israel" by Al Jazeera (October 18, 2025)