Did they really find the phone or is it just an investigation ploy?

MAG was Released minutes ago from prison but is waiting indictment 

 The police are continuing to inspect the phone that was found on Friday morning at Hatzuk Beach to determine whether it indeed belongs to ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was released on Friday to house arrest.

While a police official said earlier in the day that "all signs indicate" it belongs to Tomer-Yerushalmi, the police are contending with several questions. Among the questions is how the battery of the phone, which was on airplane mode when it was found, could last for nearly a week and how the phone itself survived so long in the salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Old photos also show that the ex-MAG had a different phone than the one that was found.

Tomer-Yerushalmi, who admitted involvement in leaking the Sde Teiman video to the media, is suspected of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and providing information by a public servant.

The Military Advocate General deposited a financial guarantee of 20,000 shekels today, but the police did not request that she surrender her passport or impose a travel ban.

Noa Itiel found the phone of ex-MAG Tomer-Yerushalmi during a swim off Hatzuk Beach, days after it went missing. The device may play a pivotal role in the investigation.

Noa Itiel, who found ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi's missing cell phone on Friday at Hatzuk Beach, recounted how she found the phone during a routine swim.

"I was swimming, and suddenly, I saw a white device on the sea floor. I called my friend over. I dove and picked it up. When I got to the shore, I tapped the screen, and my jaw dropped. I saw the familiar photo that was in the press," Itiel recounted in an interview with Walla!. She noted that while she was still in the water, she understood it was likely to be something especially significant.

Itiel noted that she did not allow anyone to take the phone from her. "Someone approached me and said that he would give the phone to the police, but I said that I would do it myself. I knew I was holding something unusual. Maybe even something that would influence the entire investigation. I knew I had to do it correctly." The police confirmed that the phone is indeed Tomer-Yerushalmi, and that it was inspected at a forensics lab.

Since the phone went missing after the ex-MAG disappeared along the coast in central Israel for several hours on Sunday, civilians have been searching the beach with metal detectors, diving crews have repeatedly searched the sea floor, and police have had a constant presence along the shore, but nothing was found. Only on Friday, when the visibility in the water was exceptionally good, was the phone found by chance. "I swim here every day," she said. "We usually look for sea turtles and fish. Today, I found something totally different."

Itiel added that the moment touched her on a personal and emotional level: “My family lost loved ones in October. Everything connects for me. I felt that I was part of something important - maybe even a form of closure. What guided me was that the truth would come to light and that we would be united.”

The investigation into the case is still ongoing. Key questions remain open, including how the device disappeared, whether it was disabled before being thrown into the sea, and whether there was an attempt to obstruct the investigation. According to sources familiar with the details, examining the phone’s contents - if they can be recovered - may prove to be a decisive stage in the inquiry.