Israeli police probe inconsistencies surrounding ex-MAG Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s recovered phone amid fraud, obstruction, and media-leak investigations.
The investigation surrounding former Military Advocate General (MAG) Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi has taken a puzzling turn after a mobile phone discovered Friday morning on Hatzuk Beach was tentatively identified as hers — yet serious doubts are now clouding that conclusion.
Police officials initially told reporters that “all signs indicate the device belongs to Tomer-Yerushalmi.” But forensic examiners are now grappling with inexplicable anomalies: the phone was found in airplane mode, its battery still charged after nearly a week, and the device remarkably intact despite apparent exposure to the corrosive waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Adding to the intrigue, archived photos from earlier this year show Tomer-Yerushalmi using a different phone model entirely, raising questions about whether the device was planted, switched, or tampered with.
The former MAG—once one of the most powerful figures in Israel’s military justice system—was released Friday to house arrest following her admission of involvement in leaking the explosive Sde Teiman video to the media. She is under investigation for fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, abuse of office, and providing classified information while serving as a public official.
Tomer-Yerushalmi posted a financial guarantee of 20,000 shekels as part of her release terms, though notably, no travel ban or passport surrender was required—a decision raising eyebrows among legal observers, given the gravity of the allegations.
The recovered phone—potentially a key piece of evidence in one of Israel’s most politically charged scandals—is now undergoing digital forensics testing to determine its data integrity, ownership, and potential connection to the leaked material.
What began as a straightforward corruption probe has now turned into a mystery steeped in deception, missing devices, and political intrigue—with the truth about the ex-MAG’s phone possibly holding the key to unraveling a much deeper web inside Israel’s legal establishment.
