In another outrageous twist from the prosecutors from Chelm, Military Advocate General’s Office [MAG] revealed on Monday—amid the uproar on the role of ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and other senior IDF officials in the Sdei Teiman case—that the Hamas terrorist from the case was released to Gaza as part of the hostage deal last month.
The significance of the new revelation is critical, as the key and only witness who could have testified against the reservists indicted for abusing the terrorist is no longer in Israel. Interestingly, despite the public interest in the case, the IDF did not publicize the decision to release the terrorist, and the news of his release was only revealed by one of the reservists’ lawyers on Monday.
In response to media outlets’ inquiries on why the IDF did not publicize the release of the terrorist and why the Nukhba terrorist was never questioned about the “abuse” he suffered, the IDF responded by accusing the Shin Bet and Israel Police of releasing him.
The Jerusalem Post reported that it “pointed out to the IDF spokesperson’s office that it was the IDF legal division who had chosen not to question the terrorist for over a year since the incident in July 2024 and who also decided not to question him even once they started to learn that he might soon be released to Gaza.”
“The IDF spokesperson had no explanation to address these issues, raising larger questions about who decided not to question him and why.”
The letter that the Military Advocate General’s Office [MAG] sent to the reservists’ lawyers on Monday stated, “According to the documentation in the computerized system, the security prisoner was deported to the Gaza Strip on October 13, 2025. Upon receiving the report, we acted to verify it and found that the security detainee is indeed no longer in the custody of the Israeli prison authorities,” the statement said.
Sources familiar with the case say that the terrorist’s unpublicized release was not a coincidence and that it was a move intended to prevent the truth from emerging in the upcoming legal proceedings. The sources said that investigators must examine the possibility that the Military Advocate General’s Office tried to bury the case by releasing the main prosecution witness, which could lead to the cancellation of the entire case.
Attorney Ephraim Damari, representing some of the soldiers, demanded that the indictment filed against reservists be immediately revoked, a demand previously made on Sunday in a press conference held by the IDF Unit 100 reservists and their lawyers.
Damari stated, “Read it and don’t believe it. I learned two hours ago that the vile terrorist from the Sde Teiman case—a Nukhba terrorist with blood on his hands—was deported from the country at the initiative of the IDF. This, despite being the sole witness in the indictment against the heroic soldiers. Beyond the disgrace of the deportation, the indictment must be immediately canceled.”
Attorneys Adi Keidar and Neti Rom, who represent two of the soldiers, slammed the MAG Office: “We have just received notification that the terrorist is no longer in a detention facility in Israel. We appeal from this platform to the MAG Office to cancel the indictment immediately. The complainant deserves a harsh punishment for his actions as a terrorist and for the false accusations he helped fabricate against the soldiers, aided and encouraged by military investigators who coaxed him into telling vile lies. From day one, we told the court that if the terrorist were brought to testify, the case would collapse.”
It should be noted that in preparation for the arrest of the five reservists, the Military Advocate General’s Office did not allow the location of terrorists to stop them from persecuting IDF soldiers. Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich revealed last year that as part of the preparation for the arrest of the five IDF reservists, MAG lawyers proactively called Hamas terrorists in Gaza—terrorists who were held in Sde Teiman and were released to Gaza—and asked them if they had any testimony against IDF soldiers who guarded them there.”
“This is unacceptable,” Smotrich continued. “It’s one thing if there’s a complaint, then it should be investigated. But to send investigators to proactively call Hamas terrorists in Gaza and ask for evidence against IDF soldiers. I’m saying this based on reliable information from people in the military system who were shocked by the instructions they received to carry out against IDF soldiers.”
Smotrich’s statements were later confirmed during a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The top prosecutor at the military prosecutor’s office admitted that calls were made to terrorists in Gaza to find out about the treatment they received from IDF in Sde Teiman.
This means that 10 IDF soldiers were arrested, interrogated, and later indicted based on terrorists’ testimony!
Meanwhile, searches continue for Tomer-Yerushalmi’s phone, which, according to the police, she probably threw into the sea. The searches are being conducted by dozens of volunteers and divers who joined a public initiative offering a NIS 100,000 reward for anyone who finds the device.
