By Liran Tamari

Copyright ynetnews

A woman has alleged she was raped by another inmate at Neve Tirtza Women’s Prison while guards heard her screams but failed to intervene, according to an appeal filed with the state prosecutor’s office after the case was closed for lack of evidence. The appeal, submitted by attorney Miriam Zalkind, claims the investigation into the incident was mishandled and included a series of failures. Among them, she said, were the absence of a qualified sex-crimes investigator, the failure to collect testimony or hold a confrontation between the women and a delay of nearly a year before the suspect was questioned. The woman, a mother of six from Jerusalem, was detained in April 2024 on suspicion of financial crimes. She said that on the night of April 14 she was placed in a cell with another inmate who behaved erratically and later sexually assaulted her. “I screamed, the guards said they couldn’t take her out,” she said. In an interview with the news site Ynet, she said her arrest and detention were traumatizing from the start. “I was arrested without any preparation. I’m a woman who never even had a traffic violation. I always gave everything to my work and my family. The interrogations were exhausting, and the investigators showed no humanity. I was held for eight days, I lost 12 kilos, I didn’t eat or sleep. My husband and daughters brought me food and clothes, but they were thrown in the trash. I wasn’t even given basic hygiene products until a judge ordered that I receive personal supplies.” She said the alleged assault happened several days into her detention. “On the sixth or seventh night another detainee was placed in my cell. She acted strangely, and we repeatedly called for the guards, but they didn’t remove her. That night she climbed on the bed, masturbated in front of us and fell asleep. Later I woke up feeling her hands inside me. I started fighting back, broke my nails trying to stop her from attacking another detainee. I screamed, the guards came but said they couldn’t take her out and left. I stayed with her until morning. I was curled up until 5 a.m., then they took me to interrogation as if nothing had happened.” The woman said the subsequent investigation only compounded her trauma. “It was degrading. At first a male investigator questioned me, then they replaced him with a woman, but she wasn’t a certified sex-crimes investigator. She just wrote something down, and that was it.” Since then, she said, her life has unraveled. “I’m now recognized as mentally disabled by the National Insurance Institute. I can’t leave the house, I suffer from panic attacks, I lose control, I’ve had several suicide attempts. My kids see how their strong mother has become a different person. My marriage has collapsed, my family is broken, all because of what happened in one prison cell – where no one bothered to protect me. I’m telling this so other women won’t get hurt. It can’t end with the case being closed.” According to the appeal, the complaint was first taken during questioning on financial crimes and not by a certified sex-crimes investigator. No supplementary testimony was collected, no confrontation was arranged between the inmates, and no formal statements were taken from other inmates or guards. Security camera footage was also not reviewed, the appeal said. The suspect in the assault was not questioned until April 2025, nearly a year later, and gave contradictory accounts. At first she denied the assault, later said “maybe it happened,” and even expressed willingness to apologize to the complainant, according to the filing. Zalkind argued that there is enough evidence to bring charges of rape, indecent act and sexual harassment. Beyond the personal harm, she said, the matter carries a public interest. “Closing the case in these circumstances sends the message that a detainee in state custody is abandoned to severe sexual abuse. That is unacceptable in a country governed by law.” Police said in a statement: “The complaint was investigated according to the evidentiary basis in the case and its findings were transferred to the prosecution for review and decision. If there is an appeal regarding the prosecution’s decision, it will be addressed by them.” The Israel Prison Service said: “The case was closed by the authorized bodies without any claim raised against staff. The service takes seriously any report or concern of harm to inmates and always acts to ensure the safety and well-being of prisoners through supervision and protective mechanisms. Any new claim must be examined by the appropriate authorities.”