An inebriated 16-year-old girl was gang raped by over 30 men at a hotel where she was staying with her friend while vacationing in Eilat, Israel. Following the complaint lodged by the victim, the police have arrested two suspects who insisted that it was consensual.
Calling the incident a crime against humanity, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "It's shocking- there is no other word. It is not only a crime against the girl, it is a crime against humanity itself that deserves all condemnation – and those responsible must be brought to justice."
Men Waited in Line Outside the Room in Hotel
The victim and her friend were staying at the Red Sea Hotel, where the crime took place. The police are also investigating whether the victim was sexually assaulted at a different location too, reported The Jerusalem post.
The teenager and her friend met a group of acquaintances following which they all went out for drinks. Later they came back to a room in the hotel, where the men took turns to rape the teenager, reported The Times of Israel.
On Wednesday, the police arrested one of the suspect, a 27-year-old resident from the northern part of the country, whose remand was extended for five days by the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court. Another 27-year old resident of Hadera was also arrested by the police after he exchanged messages with the victim. The suspect told the victim that there was a footage of the sexual assault, the outlet reported further.
During the investigation the suspect revealed the gruesome details of the sexual assault adding that more than 30 men had sex the girl. The accused also said that while the sexual relation was consensual, men stood in line outside the room waiting for their turn as the drunk teenager asked them to come one by one, stated the report.
Channel 13 News reported that the victim's friend told the investigators that one of the suspects approached the intoxicated victim under the pretext of helping her as he was a medic. The suspect "took advantage of her and slept with her when she was out of control," she told the outlet.
Victim's Social Media Profile Leaked, Moved to Safe Location
After the victim's social media profile was leaked online, the investigating authorities moved her to a safer location fearing threats, The Jerusalem Post reported.
During the court appearance, one of the arrested suspects said that he could not stop the approximate 30 men from raping the victim even though he was there for only some part of it. The suspect's attorney, Ofra Siboni, was quoted by the outlet stating that the accused feared the other men. Accusing the victim of being a willing party to the sexual assault, Siboni said, "No one yelled, 'help'.It only became a problem when someone told her there was footage of the incident."
Meanwhile the hotel, where the incident allegedly took place, has denied the claims despite the footage proving otherwise. Speaking to N12, Pnina Maman, the owner of the Red Sea Hotel, said that there was no proof that it happened here. "If something happened at the level of 30 people, we would have noticed, and we would not have let it happen. I very much want to see the video. Where it says there were 30 people. We do not deserve all of this shaming," she added.
