A day after the French prosecutor's office announced it would open an investigation into death threats received by several Israeli athletes to the 2024 Olympic Games, the Israeli Olympic Committee gave its official response on the matter on Monday.
"Unfortunately, a hate campaign and threats are being directed at our athletes," the Israeli Olympic Committee said in a statement. "Israeli athletes are also part of the overall struggle that Israel is undergoing."
"We thank the Israeli and foreign security forces, and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, responsible for the security of the athletes, who are working tirelessly to ensure our safety. We’ll provide our answers on the field, and the Israeli delegation will continue to represent Israeli and Olympic values with honor, determination and fairness," the committee said in a statement.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin informed the prosecutor's office about emails containing threats against the lives of members of the Israeli delegation prior to the event’s beginning. The office appointed France's national body against online hate speech to investigate the case.
Last week, the Israel National Cyber Directorate, in collaboration with the Culture and Sport Ministry, announced that "Iran is behind a campaign aimed at intimidating and threatening the Israeli delegation.
According to the cyber directorate's investigation, the campaign included exposing personal information, identifying documents such as flight tickets, passwords and usernames, as well as home addresses, and sending threatening text messages to the athletes' and delegation members' devices."