JERUSALEM, Israel: Controversy has erupted over the dramatic chain of events that included the sudden resignation, a brief disappearance, and a search that ended with authorities finding and detaining Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the top legal officer of the Israeli army, on a Tel Aviv beach.

The uproar began when Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted she approved the leak of a surveillance video connected to a bitterly debated investigation. The case involves allegations that Israeli soldiers severely abused a Palestinian detainee at a notorious military prison. The video captures part of an assault in which the detainee was sexually abused.

Tomer-Yerushalmi has said she leaked the video last year to show the seriousness of the accusations her office was handling. Instead of strengthening accountability, the leak prompted harsh political backlash from right-wing leaders. After she stepped down under mounting pressure, personal insults against her only intensified.

Following her resignation, Tomer-Yerushalmi left a vague note for her family and abandoned her car near the beach. Fears quickly spread that she may have attempted suicide, leading to an urgent search involving military drones. When she was found alive on November 2, new criticism erupted online and in the media. Right-wing commentator Yinon Magal, a supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mocked her with a post on X saying, "We can resume the lynch," including a winking emoji.

Questions soon emerged about one of her missing phones, fueling claims from right-wing politicians that she faked distress in order to destroy evidence. The episode highlights how deeply divided Israel remains after two years of war, and how conflicts inside the country's leadership persist. It also adds Tomer-Yerushalmi to a growing list of senior security officials who have left or been pushed out, often replaced by figures seen as more loyal to the current government.

In a court hearing on November 3, a judge ordered that she remain in custody until November 5, as investigators look into possible charges of fraud, breach of trust, and obstruction of justice. She is currently being held at a women's prison in central Israel. Reports say that former chief military prosecutor Col. Matan Solomesh was also arrested in the leak investigation, though the prime minister's office has declined to comment.

The uproar over the video has spotlighted deep political tensions, while also distracting from the original allegations of abuse. According to the indictment, the assault took place on July 5, 2024, at Sde Teiman military prison. The soldier suspects allegedly beat the detainee and sodomized him with a knife, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. A medical worker said the detainee required surgery and was later returned to the prison.

In her resignation letter, Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote that exposing the evidence was necessary to defend the military's law enforcement system. She said the belief that some actions are unacceptable, even against the worst detainees, "no longer convinces everyone."