Noa Itiel, who found ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi's missing cell phone on Friday at Hatzuk Beach, recounted how she found the phone during a routine swim.
"I was swimming, and suddenly, I saw a white device on the sea floor. I called my friend over. I dove and picked it up. When I got to the shore, I tapped the screen, and my jaw dropped. I saw the familiar photo that was in the press," Itiel recounted in an interview with Walla!. She noted that while she was still in the water, she understood it was likely to be something especially significant.
Itiel noted that she did not allow anyone to take the phone from her. "Someone approached me and said that he would give the phone to the police, but I said that I would do it myself. I knew I was holding something unusual. Maybe even something that would influence the entire investigation. I knew I had to do it correctly." The police confirmed that the phone is indeed Tomer-Yerushalmi, and that it was inspected at a forensics lab.
Since the phone went missing after the ex-MAG disappeared along the coast in central Israel for several hours on Sunday, civilians have been searching the beach with metal detectors, diving crews have repeatedly searched the sea floor, and police have had a constant presence along the shore, but nothing was found. Only on Friday, when the visibility in the water was exceptionally good, was the phone found by chance. "I swim here every day," she said. "We usually look for sea turtles and fish. Today, I found something totally different."
Itiel added that the moment touched her on a personal and emotional level: “My family lost loved ones in October. Everything connects for me. I felt that I was part of something important - maybe even a form of closure. What guided me was that the truth would come to light and that we would be united.”
The investigation into the case is still ongoing. Key questions remain open, including how the device disappeared, whether it was disabled before being thrown into the sea, and whether there was an attempt to obstruct the investigation. According to sources familiar with the details, examining the phone’s contents - if they can be recovered - may prove to be a decisive stage in the inquiry.