A man from northern Israel is accused in court of raping a 13-year-old girl he met online while playing Roblox, a popular multiplayer video game.
The defendant, Ilai David Nidam, is in his 20s. He allegedly traveled from his home in Rekhasim, south of Haifa, to central Israel to meet the victim.
The young girl only agreed to meet the man after he threatened to post revealing photos of her on the internet, the State Attorney’s Office says in its announcement of the indictment.
Nidam is accused of raping his victim during these meetings, using the threat of the photos to keep her silent.
When the girl stopped contacting the defendant, he became enraged and demanded she talk to him at least once a day, prosecutors write.
According to the indictment, Nidam continued to dangle the threat of the photos above the victim’s head and warned her: “You won’t be glad to be alive.”
The defendant also allegedly exposed his naked body to the girl during several video calls.
He is indicted on a litany of sex-related offenses including rape of a minor below age 16, indecent assault of a minor below age 16, and making threats.
Prosecutors have requested he remain in custody until trial.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
