2 further suspects arrested after 13-year-old says she was gang-raped at school
8th-grader to undergo medical tests after filing complaint that she was repeatedly assaulted and filmed in a school basement by several 11th and 12th graders over 10-day period
Police on Sunday announced they arrested two further suspects after a 13-year-old girl alleged that she was repeatedly raped by classmates on school grounds in the southern town of Netivot.
According to a police statement, the two suspects are minors and were detained on suspicion of carrying out sexual offenses. They are due in court on Sunday, where police were expected to request their remand be extended.
An additional suspect was arrested on Saturday. Police said the investigation was ongoing.
The eighth grader confided in her father on Friday that for twice a day over a 10-day period, she was sexually assaulted in a basement room in the school. One boy allegedly raped her while another filmed and two others stood guard outside the door. They then switched roles, with each of them taking turns raping her. The teen suspects are 11th and 12th graders at the same school.
Hebrew media reported Sunday that the girl was to undergo medical examination.
The Education Ministry said it could not comment on the incident because it was under police investigation, but was following developments “very closely.”
Speaking to Channel 13 news about the incident, the girl’s father said, “How can such a thing happen on school grounds without anyone seeing? Where were the teachers? Where was the principal?
“The girl is completely broken. She has not left her room since then and does not stop crying,” he said.
“When I asked her why she didn’t tell me after it happened the first time, she said they threatened her that they would murder her and her little brother, and release the videos [they took of her] if she told,” the father added.
Channel 13 reported that the alleged victim had been sent hate messages on Instagram in recent days, with some classmates calling her a “whore.”
It was not immediately clear when the alleged rapes took place.
The latest allegation came a month after police lifted a gag order regarding the suspected gang rape of an 11-year-old girl by eight teenagers in northern Israel.
The suspects, ranging in age from 14 to 16, were arrested in early August and were under house arrest. Another seven minors were questioned in the case, police said.
