The Bedouin Israeli suspect in a brutal rape incident in Gedera last Thursday has had his detention in police custody extended by nine more days on Sunday.
The indictment against him claims that the suspect broke into the rape victim's home and tied her up, blindfolding her and then raped her in front of her children while threatening her with a knife.
Earlier, police released the suspect's father and five of his brothers from custody. They had been arrested Saturday night both as suspects and because police wanted to compare DNA samples with what was found at the apartment and from the rape victim herself.
Investigators found that after the sexual assault had taken place, one suspect took a bottle of beer from the woman’s fridge and drank from it before making his escape, which is how some of the DNA evidence was obtained.
"The criminal broke into the home and brutally attacked and raped the victim in front of her children while they were crying."
Police
Israeli woman raped in front of her children
"The criminal broke into the home and brutally attacked and raped the victim in front of her children while they were crying," a police representative said at the court hearing.
"Her soul was murdered, her children's souls were murdered," one of the rape victim's relatives said Sunday in an interview with KAN Reshet Bet, adding that only later were they made aware that what they had thought was just a robbery was also a sexual assault.
"Her soul was murdered, her children's souls were murdered."
Relative of the victim
"He had everything – money, jewelry," the relative continued. "And he said he didn't come for that."
She continued: "We want answers, we don't understand why he did it."
Another friend of the victim told Walla that the victim "is very traumatized and is trying to recover. She and the children are both undergoing psychological treatment."
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.