Jerusalem, 4 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz appointed of Attorney Itay Ofir as the army’s new military advocate General, replacing Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned over role in the leak of a video.
Katz said Ofir’s appointment was crucial “in light of the serious facts that are being revealed,” stressing the need for leadership untainted by suspicion.
“It is of great importance at this time to immediately appoint a Chief Military Prosecutor from outside the prosecution system,” Katz said. “He will be able to work to clean up, rehabilitate, and organize the military prosecution system based on principles — primarily the protection of IDF soldiers who are fighting heroically in difficult and complex conditions for the security of the State of Israel.”
Ofir previously served as legal advisor to the Defense Ministry between 2017-2024, after years in both private practice in Israel and the United States. In 2022, he was shortlisted by a committee headed by former Supreme Court President Asher Grunis as one of three finalists for Attorney General.
A Harvard-trained lawyer, Ofir also holds degrees in law and business administration from Bar-Ilan University. He served as a combat officer in the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati Brigade and continues to serve in the reserves with the Negev Brigade.
Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned on Friday as the Israel Defense Forces’ top legal officer, is accused of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and unlawful disclosure of classified material in what has become known as the Sde Teiman leak scandal. Israeli authorities have conducted extensive searches for her cell phone on a beach in the coastal city of Herzliya, suspecting she may have staged a suicide attempt to dispose of it in the sea. Following her arrest, she underwent medical and psychological evaluations before being taken to Neve Tirza Women’s Prison in Ramla.
The investigation centers not only on the leak itself but also on possible obstruction of justice and other related offenses.
The video at the center of the case shows alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility. The Palestinian, whose name has not been publicly released, returned to Gaza on October 13 when Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Five IDF reservists from the Force 100 Military Police unit were indicted in February for assault and causing severe injury.
Honenu, a legal aid organization representing two of the reservists, called for the charges to be dropped. “We call on the Military Advocate General’s Office to annul the indictments immediately,” the group said.
In his remarks at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “perhaps the most severe propaganda attack that the State of Israel has experienced since its establishment. I don’t remember one that was so focused. This requires an independent and impartial investigation, and I expect that one will also be carried out.”
The Sde Teiman facility, established in southern Israel after the outbreak of the Gaza war, has held more than 1,000 detainees from Gaza suspected of involvement in terrorist activity.
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