Police detained Tomer-Yerushalmi on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice and disclosure of official information by a public servant, the reports said.
She announced her resignation last week, saying she approved the video’s release to defuse attacks on military investigators and prosecutors handling the case.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the Sde Teiman incident caused “immense damage” to Israel’s image and was “perhaps the most severe public relations attack” the country has faced since its founding.
Prosecutors raided the Sde Teiman military detention center in July 2024 and questioned 11 soldiers over a violent assault on a Palestinian from Gaza, including anal rape, according to an indictment cited by The Guardian.
The victim was hospitalized with broken ribs, a punctured lung and rectal injuries, and Tomer-Yerushalmi opened an investigation.
After far-right protests at the base—including a minister and two Knesset members briefly breaking in—Tomer-Yerushalmi leaked the video in August 2024, calling it an attempt to counter “false propaganda against army law enforcement bodies.”
Days later, five soldiers were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm.
They were not named and were not in custody or under restrictions, Israeli media reported.
Amid intensifying attacks over the leak, there were official calls for Tomer-Yerushalmi to step down and online threats, even after she resigned. On Sunday, her partner reported her missing and police found her car at a Tel Aviv-area beach with a note inside, Israeli media said.
She was later found, and protests resumed outside her home, with slogans vowing “we will give you no peace.”
The defense minister accused her of “spreading blood libels.”
Criticism of Tomer-Yerushalmi has dovetailed with broader questions over Israel’s rule of law and accountability for abuses during what a UN commission has called a genocidal war. Haaretz reported she later refused to open or advance other possible war-crimes inquiries due to public pressure.
According to The Guardian, there has been only one conviction of an Israeli soldier for assaulting Palestinians in detention during the war, despite widespread reports of torture and abuse and deaths in custody.
No soldiers have been charged over civilian deaths in Gaza, including attacks involving paramedics, journalists, and a World Central Kitchen team, which included Polish volunteer Damian Soból.
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Source: PAP, The Guardian, RMF24