The arrest of the former top lawyer for the Israeli military, Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has intensified a political scandal surrounding the leak of a video allegedly showing severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers. Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week and took responsibility for the leak, was reported missing before being found and taken into custody, along with a former chief military prosecutor. The leaked footage, broadcast in August, depicts reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base allegedly beating and stabbing a detainee, leading to charges against five reservists who deny wrongdoing.

The incident has deepened divisions in Israel, with right-wing figures condemning the leak as defamation and left-wing voices viewing it as evidence of abuse. The scandal has prompted criminal investigations, fierce political condemnation, and protests, highlighting ongoing tensions over the treatment of Palestinian detainees and the conduct of the military. The government maintains its commitment to legal standards and denies widespread abuse, while the fallout from the video continues to reverberate across the country.