JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL
Israel’s Defense Minister Israeli Katz appointed attorney Itai Ofir as a new military prosecutor, one day after the arrest of former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalm, who leaked a video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman facility, according to official media.
The video, which surfaced in recent days, shows five Israeli soldiers assaulting a prisoner from Gaza inside the army-run notorious Sde Teiman camp in southern Israel.
Katz fired Tomer-Yerushalmi on Saturday and stripped her of rank, despite her resignation a day earlier.
In her resignation letter, she said she had authorized the leak “to counter false propaganda against the military justice system.”
Israeli police arrested Tomer-Yerushalmi on Monday, and a court extended her detention for three days for leaking the footage to the press.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said that Katz named Ofir as her replacement but did not inform him directly; Ofir reportedly learned of the appointment through media reports.
A military statement said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir congratulated Ofir, calling him “the leading candidate” and stressing the importance of appointing a prosecutor with “extensive legal experience and a deep understanding of both the operational and legal challenges.”
The assault case dates back to July of last year, when Israeli soldiers tortured and sexually abused a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman, causing him serious injuries.
Israeli outlets, including KAN, reported Monday that the victim was released to Gaza on Oct. 13 as part of a prisoner exchange with Hamas.
Neither Hamas nor Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups have commented on the claim, and the detainee’s current status remains unclear.
There are currently over 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including women and children, who face torture, starvation, and medical neglect, conditions that have caused numerous deaths, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.