Sudanese migrants in Tel Aviv
Sudanese migrants in Tel AvivFlash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded in his Facebook page to the incident in South Tel Aviv in which an 80-year-old woman was attacked, molested, and severely beaten.

"I wish a speedy recovery to Ester Nahman, who was brutally attacked last weekend by an illegal migrant in South Tel Aviv, "said Netanyahu.

"The fence which I ordered built on the Sinai border has halted the infiltration into Israel. The number of infiltrators leaving the country has seen a dramatic increase in the past few years, but this is not enough. The police must do everything possible to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens, including those in South Tel Aviv, who are suffering from serious crimes perpetrated by infiltrators," added the prime minister.

He declared that "in addition to reinforcing police forces and foot patrols in South Tel Aviv, I directed Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan to continue adding to forces in the region in order to establish law and order at all times of day. My government will allocate all the necessary resources to ensure that Esther, together with her children and grandchildren, will be able to live in absolute security like any other citizen of Israel."

Netanyahu was referring to an incident in which Nahman was brutally assaulted while walking her dogs in the South Tel Aviv neighborhood she’s called home for more than 60 years.

While police apprehended the perpetrator, Nahman says she is struggling to cope with the trauma of the attack.

“Every Shabbat I take my pinschers out for a walk,” Nahman told Channel 2.

“I was walking slowly down the sidewalk on Har Tzion Boulevard when a Sudanese man, roughly 17-years old, approached me. I thought he wanted to ask me where some street was, or some other question. He came towards me, about half a meter away (1.6 feet) and punched me in the face.”

Nahman says she was floored by the blow.

“He came from behind, kicking me, and pushed me to the ground while my dogs were barking. My arm was broken in three places from the fall. Every time I tried to stand up on my feet again, he hit me again and again. Afterwards he tried to rape me – really rape me.”

“He started to pull down my pants,” continued Nahman. “Since it was early in the morning, around 5:30, I was wearing sweatpants over tights. He was able to remove my sweatpants, but didn’t understand that I was wearing two pairs of pants. I held up [the second pair] of pants with my hands, and he started to beat me viciously, to the point where my arm swelled up around the veins. My elbow was bleeding and he dragged me on the ground.”

“It was totally quiet then, right around dawn. I started to scream ‘Help, police’. He tried to get on top of me, like someone riding a horse with both legs. Every time I tried to get up, he hit me. My whole face swelled up; my arm and elbow too. My arm is broken. I had open heart surgery four years ago and I can’t walk so well. When he knocked me down, that really killed me.”