Civilians discovered a cell phone this morning (Friday) at Hatzuk Beach, the same location where the phone of dismissed Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi had been last traced. Police are currently examining whether the device belongs to her.
A police official said that the phone was confirmed to be Tomer-Yerushalmi's after it was unlocked using technological means and verified. The phone was reportedly found switched on and partially charged while submerged in water.
At the beach where the phone was located, a violent scuffle broke out between volunteers who had been searching the area with metal detectors and wanted to be the one to hand the phone over to the police. The authorities broke up the fight.
The civilian who located the phone, a resident of Tel Aviv in her 50s, notified police. "I swam this morning at Hatzuk Beach, and at one point in the shallow water, near the shore, I saw something that looked like a telephone. I picked it up and understood that it was an iPhone. I immediately got out of the water, turned it on, and saw a picture of the MAG. I reported it to the police. The officers arrived and summoned me to testify," she recounted.
Earlier today, a court ordered Tomer-Yerushalmi’s release to ten days of house arrest under restrictive conditions.
The conditions include a ban on contacting anyone involved in the case until December 31, a self-guarantee deposit of 10,000 shekels, an obligation to appear for all police questioning, and permission to leave her home only to meet with her attorneys, and only with prior police approval.
Her brother, Asaf Tomer-Yerushalmi, signed the guarantee enabling her release from detention.
During the hearing, the judge emphasized the severity of any contact with other individuals involved in the case, warning that such communication could amount to obstruction of justice.