Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi went missing on Sunday after leaving a note to the family and abandoning her car by the beach.

She was found at night alive and in good condition and brought to police custody.

Israeli Channel 12 news reported that police suspect Tomer-Yerushalmi staged the attempted suicide to get rid of her phone, which she tossed into the sea. The letter she left behind was described as “ambiguous” and staged.

She appeared in court on Monday with another suspect in the same case.

Before her disappearance on Sunday, Tomer-Yerushalmi was set to be questioned over last year’s leak of surveillance footage purportedly showing soldiers at Sde Teiman detention camp gang-raping a Palestinian detainee behind riot shields.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a criminal investigation into the leak.

Two days later, Tomer-Yerushalmi admitted leaking the video and resigned.

The scandal has received widespread coverage in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday calling for an independent investigation into the leak, which he says caused “enormous damage to Israel’s public image”.

“This is perhaps the most severe propaganda attack that the state of Israel has experienced since its establishment,” Netanyahu said.

The footage Tomer-Yerushalmi leaked was published in August last year amid backlash from ultranationalist Israelis at the time over a military investigation into the alleged gang-rape.

Tomer-Yerushalmi said she leaked the footage to counter pressure from far-right groups attacking the Military Advocate General’s office.

At least nine Israeli soldiers were questioned over the assault in late July 2024, sparking widespread anger across Israel, with polls showing that a majority believe the accused officers should not face criminal charges.

Only five soldiers were eventually indicted for “severe abuse” of the detainee, but not for rape. The trial is ongoing.

On Sunday, the accused soldiers called for the case to be dropped.

(Tagged as NSFW for the disturbing subject matter.)