Israeli police launch inquiry into alleged gang rape of teenager

Police in Israel have opened an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a girl in the Red Sea resort of Eilat, in a a case which has sparked outrage.

One of the suspects said about 30 men had sex with the 16-year-old, but denied that she was raped, according to reports in Israeli media.

Police said they have made two arrests so far and anticipate identifying further suspects in the high-profile investigation. While officers are yet to detail their findings, local newspapers reported the teenager was attacked in a hotel room by multiple men, while others filmed the alleged assaults.

The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the shocking case amounted to a “crime against humanity” and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Video: Protesters in Israel call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign

Israel’s welfare minister, Itzik Shmuli, said Israeli society had a duty to fight a culture which allows “such shocking cases” to happen.

The investigation comes after 12 Israelis were accused of gang raping a British teenager last summer in the Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa. There has been widespread criticism of the handling of the case and the fact that those accused received a hero’s welcome when they returned to Israel.

The British teenager was convicted of public mischief over her claim, spent more than four weeks in prison and had to remain on the island for a further five months for court proceedings.

She said she was coerced into signing a confession and has vowed to clear her name by taking the case to Cyprus’s supreme court.

Tourism to Cyprus this summer has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with many Israelis instead travelling south to Eilat, which lies on Israel’s border with Jordan.

The alleged Eilat gang rape reportedly happened on 12 August and the victim went to police two days later.

Ofra Siboni, a lawyer representing one of the suspects, said his 27-year-old client admitted to being in the hotel room at the time of the attack.

“The young man is cooperating with investigators, denies the suspicions and has given his version of the sequence of events,” Siboni told Haaretz.

A court spokesperson told the Guardian the case was being heard behind closed doors and so details of the proceedings would not be made public.

Israeli women’s groups were due to hold protests across the country on Thursday evening.