Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi admits authorizing media leaks in the Sde Teiman detention case and resigns after her dismissal, saying, “I bear full responsibility.” Her duplicitous leak of alleged mistreatment of Arab prisoners, later proven false, blackened the IDF’s name around the world. In Israel, a “shtinker” is an informer, an odious offense, especially in her high position.

Israel’s top military lawyer, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, resigned on Thursday after being dismissed by Defense Minister Israel Katz for her role in leaking sensitive material from the Sde Teiman detention facility case. Her departure closes a dramatic chapter in the Israel Defense Forces’ legal corps, ending the tenure of a commander once seen as a symbol of professionalism and reform, now leaving under the shadow of scandal.

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation letter confirmed what investigators had already suspected: that she personally approved the release of internal material to the media in an effort, she said, to counter “false propaganda” directed against Israel’s military law enforcement system. “As head of the Military Advocate General’s office, I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities,” she wrote. “I bear full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from within the unit.”

The admission stunned senior officers and jurists. For months, the IDF had been investigating who was behind the release of classified video footage showing alleged mistreatment of Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman base near Beersheba. The video, which surfaced in August 2024, was quickly exploited by anti-Israel groups and foreign media outlets as supposed proof of systemic abuse. Israeli sources later said the clip had been selectively edited and misrepresented. Nonetheless, the damage to Israel’s image was considerable.

Defense Minister Katz, informed of her admission, announced her dismissal before the formal resignation could be processed. “Anyone who spreads blood libels against IDF soldiers is not worthy of wearing the IDF uniform,” he said, calling the act “a severe breach of judgment and loyalty.” The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed that Tomer-Yerushalmi’s deputy will serve as acting MAG until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, 51, was appointed in 2021 and became the first woman to serve as Military Advocate General. Known for her strict interpretation of international law and her insistence that “the IDF must remain a moral army even under fire,” she was respected both inside the military and abroad. During the Swords of Iron war and its aftermath, she often found herself defending the legality of Israeli operations while fending off accusations from international bodies. Her sudden fall from grace is therefore all the more striking.

Her defenders describe her decision as a tragic miscalculation made under immense pressure. They argue that her intent was not to harm Israel but to protect it—by preempting hostile narratives that painted the IDF as abusive. Yet, critics insist that she violated a cardinal rule: that classified evidence, once released to the public, can never be controlled and can easily be turned against the state.

The affair has also raised broader questions about the role of the Military Advocate General’s office, which is tasked with both enforcing the law within the IDF and defending its actions before the world. In practice, the MAG walks a tightrope between transparency and discretion. Tomer-Yerushalmi’s decision to authorize a media release—no matter her motives—crossed that line and undermined the very legal credibility she had sought to protect.

In her final statement, Tomer-Yerushalmi expressed regret but stood by her broader record. “This is not how I planned to conclude my military service,” she wrote, “yet the current circumstances do not diminish the immense pride and gratitude I feel for the privilege of serving the people of Israel and its army.”

Her resignation comes at a delicate time. Israel remains under international scrutiny, with several investigations at the International Criminal Court and increasing political attacks in foreign media. Within Israel, the leak scandal has ignited a fierce debate about loyalty, discipline, and the limits of free speech in wartime.

Senior officers privately warned that her downfall, though justified, could have a chilling effect on younger IDF jurists and investigators who already feel under siege. “This is a message that the system protects itself,” one said. “The lesson is that even a good intention can destroy a career.”

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s departure also highlights the growing friction between Israel’s defense leadership and its legal institutions. In recent months, tensions have mounted between the political echelon and the military’s legal corps, with ministers accusing legal officials of excessive caution and second-guessing operational decisions. Her resignation may ease that friction in the short term, but it leaves a void in a system that must now reassert its authority and credibility.

In Israeli history, few resignations have combined such personal accountability with such public disgrace. Once praised as a model of integrity, the MAG leaves office under suspicion of undermining the very institution she was sworn to protect. Her fall serves as a cautionary tale for an army constantly balancing morality with necessity, legality with secrecy.

The IDF’s next Military Advocate General will inherit a shaken but essential institution—tasked with defending not only Israel’s soldiers but the moral foundation upon which they fight.