IDF Military Advocate General Itay Offir withdrew indictments against five IDF soldiers in the Sdei Teiman detention facility beating case on June 1, 2026. Offir cited violations of the soldiers’ fair trial rights stemming from his predecessor’s illegal public leak of a video showing the alleged incident.
Offir did not exonerate the soldiers of wrongdoing. He stated that the leak by former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi compromised their right to a fair trial. Tomer-Yerushalmi later admitted to the unauthorized disclosure and, along with several top aides, resigned and is likely to face prosecution.
Offir also noted that the Palestinian detainee who was the alleged victim in the case had been returned to Gaza before his testimony could be collected, a decision made prior to Offir assuming office in November 2025. The absence of the key witness further undermined the viability of the case, according to Offir’s assessment.
Describing his role, Offir said his office “must probe and prosecute IDF soldiers who violate applicable laws and IDF values.” He added that his office’s work enables the IDF “to fight its wars to win with legitimacy” and that it regularly confronts “expanding attempts to besmirch Israel’s name globally.”
According to Offir, dozens of investigations into alleged war crimes by IDF personnel have been closed without public announcement due to concerns that details could be used by international courts such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). He delivered these remarks during his first public address to the Israel Bar Association since May 2024.
Offir was appointed Military Advocate General by Foreign Minister Israel Katz in November 2025, after serving seven years as the top lawyer in the Defense Ministry and as Katz’s legal advisor. As of June 2026, Katz had not publicly criticized Offir.
No independent assessment of IDF Military Advocate General’s claims was available.