Outrage as 30 men accused of raping Israeli teen in Eilat

Lawmakers, including PM, and women's rights groups express their shock at the 'horrid' sexual assault, which allegedly saw dozens of men line up and take their turn with a 16-year-old girl at a hotel room in Israel's resort city; 2 suspects arrested so far
Matan Tzuri|
Israeli lawmakers and activists expressed their outrage on Thursday after a 16-year-old girl said she had been raped by over 30 men at a hotel room in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat last week.
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  • The teenager filed a police complaint on Friday, accusing dozens on men of sexually assaulting her in the hotel room two days prior.
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    משבר כלכלי גדול באילת בעקבות התפשטות נגיף הקורונה בישראל
    משבר כלכלי גדול באילת בעקבות התפשטות נגיף הקורונה בישראל
    Eilat
    (Photo: Meir Ohayon)
    According to a preliminary investigation, the minor traveled with a friend to the resort city where she met several of her friend's acquaintances. They apparently began drinking alcohol and at one point the teen went up to one of the rooms to use the rest room. In that room, according to her, she was raped by dozens of men, each waiting to take their turn.
    So far, police arrested two suspects. One of whom is a 27-year-old man from northern Israel, who appeared to have exchanged text messages with the alleged victim. In one of the messages, the suspect says he has video recordings of the alleged rape.
    Due to the high number of possible suspects, police have established a special investigative team.
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    ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו
    ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
    (Photo: GPO)
    The outrage over the alleged assault began pouring late on Wednesday, when the case was first made public.
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a "crime against humanity."
    "My wife and I read this morning about the suspected gang rape in Eilat. It is horrid, there are no other words to describe it. It is not just a crime against this girl, but a crime against humanity, deserving of every condemnation," Netanyahu said.
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    איציק שמולי
    איציק שמולי
    Welfare Minister Itzik Shmuli
    (Photo: Ofir Yitzhak )
    "30 vicious animalistic attackers against one 16-year-old girl and no one has been arrested over this travesty," twitted Welfare Minister Itzik Shmuli before police made the initial arrests.
    "The accusations are gut-wrenching. It is our duty as a society and a state to viciously fight the culture which allows for such horrid incidents to occur, and support the victims as much as possible."
    The Israel Women's Network said in a statement: "30 men wait in line to rape a 16-year-old girl, and the world still stands and the headlines still deal with the same issues. The life of a young woman was shattered into pieces. Out heart is with her."
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    עאידה תומא סלימאן
    עאידה תומא סלימאן
    Joint List MK Aida Touma-Suleiman
    (Photo: Knesset Channel)
    Joint List MK and former chair of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality Aida Touma-Suleiman described the alleged assault as "horrid".
    "Another gang rape by 30 violent men, an incomprehensible evil. The thought that a 16-year-old girl had to deal with that situation is mortifying.
    "She deserves a support system, which will back her claims with the required sensitivity and quickly collect forensic evidence. We cannot abandon victims in the face of the bureaucratic hell of the police and the justice system."




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