Israeli police announced on Thursday that a special investigation force has been tasked with gathering cellphone data, surveillance footage and other relevant evidence related to the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old Israeli girl who was staying at the Red Sea Resort in Eilat, Israel, on a three-day trip with friends.
The initial probe into the matter suggested the teen was drinking alcohol with a number of acquaintances of her friends on August 12 and, at one point, went upstairs to use the bathroom inside a hotel room, reported Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth. It was there that she was allegedly assaulted by dozens of men, who she said were each waiting to take their turn.
While the number of men has not been confirmed, police believe there was a multiplicity of assailants in the room during the time of the reported gang rap.
Netanyahu took to social media on Thursday to condemn the gang rape.
“This morning, my wife Sarah and I read about the rape affair in Eilat as published. This is shocking, there is no other word,” he said. “This is not just a crime against the girl, it is a crime against humanity itself that deserves all condemnation and that those responsible for it should be brought to justice.”
“Since yesterday I want to understand, and cannot – what is a man trying to prove when he stands in a crowded line with dozens of men on the way to a room in which a young … girl is lying?” Alternate Israeli Prime Minister Benny Gantz asked in a multi-tweet response to the alleged gang rape on Thursday.
He went on to say that while there may be questions remaining on details of the reported incident, the immorality of such an attack is clear. Gantz concluded by telling the teen that she is “not alone.”