Israel's top military lawyer dropped charges over a Gaza detainee's seven broken ribs
On February 19, 2025, then-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi indicted five reservists from the Military Police's Force 100 unit over the alleged assault of a Palestinian detainee at Sde Teiman on July 5, 2024, who suffered seven broken ribs, a punctured lung and a rectal tear requiring surgery. On March 12, 2026, her successor, Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir, withdrew the indictment, citing inconclusive video, the detainee's inconsistent accounts, his release to Gaza in October 2025 so that he could not testify, and a possible abuse-of-process claim over the earlier leak of security footage, which is the subject of a separate criminal investigation. The IDF's own summary described the evidence as a grave and troubling picture. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel accused Ofir of whitewashing the abuse; the Prime Minister's Office and Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the decision.
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- The Times of Israel
Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir published his decision to withdraw the criminal charges filed by his predecessor... against five IDF reserve service members in connection with the Sde Teiman affair.
For 15 minutes, the accused kicked the detainee, stomped on him, stood on his body, hit him and pushed him all over his body, including with clubs.
Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir published his decision to withdraw the criminal charges filed by his predecessor... against five IDF reserve service members in connection with the Sde Teiman affair.
The end of the Sde Teiman abuse case: the IDF MAG withdraws indictments.
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Three Force 100 soldiers filed an NIS 18 million civil suit in Jerusalem District Court against 17 defendants, including former MAG Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Attorney General and the State Attorney, over their arrest, prosecution and the footage leak. Source ↗
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir approved the reinstatement of the five Force 100 reservists whose indictment was withdrawn, and some returned to front-line duty; the IDF said a command inquiry had not yet been conducted. Source ↗