Twelve Israelis accused of raping British woman, 19, and leaving her covered in scratches during Ayia Napa holiday ahead of their national service say they were beaten up by other Brits after news spread

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Twelve Israeli teenagers accused of gang-raping a 19-year-old British woman in Cyprus say they were beaten up after rumours of an attack spread.

The group, aged between 16 and 19, appeared in court on Thursday where a judge remanded them in custody for a further eight days while police examine DNA evidence collected from them.

Speaking through their lawyer after the hearing, the teenagers said their accuser was lying after being encouraged to report them to police by another Briton.

They said they were beaten by other British holidaymakers and then had their noses broken by police as they arrived at the two-star Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel in Ayia Napa in the early hours of Wednesday. 

Twelve Israeli teenagers accused of gang-raping a 19-year-old British woman in Ayia Napa covered their faces as they appeared in court Thursday for a detention hearing

A judge ruled that the hearing could take place behind closed doors because some of the accused are under the age of 18 (pictured arriving at court)

Speaking through their lawyers, the accused teens protested their innocence, said they had been beaten by fellow guests and police, and that their accuser was lying

'The police hit us, they broke our noses, and the girl is lying', their lawyers told the Jerusalem Post.

'Help us, get us out of here, you'll see we're right and that we're innocent.'

According to the woman's version of events, she had been at a party with one of the men who she met three days earlier and had slept with on multiple occasions.

The pair agreed to go back to his room and once inside, the other 11 men rushed in and launched their attack, according to Israel's Ynet News.

Court documents showed that the woman suffered scratches to her legs that were 'the result of trauma'.

The group arrived at court on Thursday handcuffed together and with their t-shirts pulled up over their faces.

A judge ruled that the hearing could take place behind closed doors because some of the boys were under the age of 18.

It is thought the group were in the Greek party resort to celebrate ahead of starting their national service, which is mandatory for every Israeli man over the age of 18.  

A judge ruled that the 12 should be remanded in custody for eight days while further investigations are carried out, the Cyprus Mail reports. 

The Israelis, aged between 16 and 18, are accused of gang-raping the Briton inside the room of a hotel where they were all staying in Ayia Napa

The men are accused of pinning the 19-year-old down and gang-raping her while filming on their phones and laughing

The men have not yet been charged and local reports suggest that police do not evidence that implicates the entire group

Reports in Cypriot media suggest that police do not yet have enough evidence to implicate all 12 men.

Three of those under arrest have admitted to having sex with the woman, according to Israel's Channel 12, but all of them say it was done 'with consent and love'.

The other nine deny having anything to do with the attack, the station reported.

Channel 12 also quoted witnesses as saying that British tourists in the hotel began attacking Israeli guests as news of the attack spread. 

The Israeli suspects said they had struck up a friendship with the British tourists ahead of the alleged attack.

They are thought to have been in the popular tourist resort ahead of their national service, which is compulsory for every Israeli man aged over 18 

One of the Israeli group translated for the others, who are understood to speak only a limited amount of English.

A mother of one of the boys told Keshet 12 that her son called her 'in tears' saying that he cannot understand what Greek police are saying to him.   

This was the scene this afternoon as hundreds of revellers continued to party at the hotel in Ayia Napa

A pool party was in full flow with revellers drinking and enjoying the sun at the Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel today

The attack took place at the Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel, a two-star resort which has amassed scores of reviews describing it as 'dangerous' on TripAdvisor

Guests described the rooms as small, dirty and damaged, complained that staff are rude and unhelpful, and multiple reviews said that locks on the doors did not work

One online reviewer even said that a boy broke into her female friend's room in the middle of the night and attacked her, but staff refused to help and later denied it had happened

Reviews of the two-star Pambos Napa Rocks Hotel posted on TripAdvisor describe a dangerous, dirty hotel with broken door locks, guests urinating on the floor, and hotel 'security guards' who threatened guests to extort money from them.

One reviewer wrote in June of this year: 'Stayed here end of June with my mates only to find that it was the worst hotel we could have stayed at. 

'My friend was asleep in her room when a boy broke into the room and tried to attack her! The staff at the hotel did nothing to help and have now even denied that the attack was ever reported! For your own safety do not stay here.'

One said that they arrived at their room to find a drunk girl urinating inside, while others described hotel 'security guards' who demanded random sums of money and assaulted guests who refused to pay up.

One review from two weeks ago is entitled 'worse than a concentration camp' while another guest said they 'would rather die than go back.'

In court, officers applied to extend the teenagers' detention by at least a week while the examine DNA evidence the group has provided

The woman told police that she went back to the room of one Israeli who she met three days beforehand and had previously slept with, when the others burst into the room

Israel's Foreign Office said in a statement it was aware of the case and that diplomats had access to the detained group. 

'The Israeli consul in Nicosia, Yossi Wurmbrand, is following developments and is in contact with the detainees,' the department told The Times of Israel.

'Their families have been updated.' 

Ayia Napa is popular with younger tourists for its pristine beaches and vibrant nightlife.

In 2016, British tourist George Low was stabbed to death at a bar in the resort town. 

The 22-year-old got into a fight at the end of a pub crawl, leading to him and his friend Ben Barker getting stabbed. 

The fight reportedly began after the pair were caught urinating in public. 

Were you staying at the hotel? Email: chris.pleasance@mailonline.com