Military Advocate General Itai Ofir on Thursday announced the revocation of the indictments against five Force 100 soldiers, citing a series of serious failures.

Of course, the only “failure” was the fact that former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi deliberately leaked a doctored video of the soldiers to the media, with the reporter claiming that the footage shows the soldiers raping a terrorist, a false claim that was completely disproven but not before it elicited a wave of unprecedented incitement against Israel and led to the torture of hostages.

According to the IDF spokesperson’s statement, the main reasons for canceling the indictment included serious failures and harm to the defendants’ right to a fair trial. Other issues cited were complexities in the evidentiary basis of the case, unprecedented conduct by senior figures in the Military Advocate General’s office, difficulties obtaining investigative materials from the police, and the release of the terrorist to Gaza.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said: “Justice has been done. I welcome the decision of the Military Advocate General, Major General Itai Ofir, to close the Sde Teiman cases against IDF soldiers and cancel the indictments against them. This trial was born in sin by the previous Military Advocate General, through the use of a blood libel against IDF soldiers and criminal investigative methods. I am glad that justice has been done and the trial has been cancelled. The role of the IDF legal system is to protect and safeguard IDF soldiers who fight bravely in war against cruel monsters—not the rights of Nukhba terrorists. I am convinced that this decision will lead to a new path.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “The revocation of the indictments is the real indictment against the judicial system, the previous Military Advocate General, and her partner in wrongdoing, Gali Baharav-Miara, who chose to fabricate cases against IDF fighters instead of supporting them during wartime. From the very first moment it was clear that this was a scandalously handled case—with selectively edited videos, major contradictions, leaks, and an attempt to portray IDF fighters as rapists while they were fighting a cruel enemy.”

He added, “Those who should be held accountable for this serious affair are the same figures in the judicial system who took part in this criminal conduct and damaged the good name of IDF soldiers.”

Attorneys Adi Kedar, Moshe Polsky, and Nati Rom from the Honenu organization, who represent two of the soldiers, said following the closing of the case: “We welcome the decision to close the Sde Teiman case. This was a necessary decision, and it is unfortunate that only dramatic developments led to the cancellation of an indictment that had no basis from the outset. It is doubtful whether this decision will restore to the heroic Force 100 fighters what they lost during the difficult period and the ordeal they endured, but at least they can now lift their heads again and regain their honor. This painful affair ends today after an enormous struggle by attorneys from the Honenu organization. On this occasion we also thank the public for the support the soldiers received throughout the entire process.”

The five soldiers paid a steep price for Tomer-Yerushalmi’s conduct, and it is still unclear what consequences she will face.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)