France Launches War Crimes Investigation into Treatment of Aid Flotilla Activists by Israel

France Launches War Crimes Investigation into Treatment of Aid Flotilla Activists by Israel

PARIS: The French prosecutor’s office announced on Friday that it has launched an investigation into allegations of “war crimes” and “torture” regarding the treatment of French activists by Israeli authorities. The activists were participants in a recent aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.
The national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) stated that the probe was initiated at the request of the government, following allegations of mistreatment during the activists’ detention last month.
On May 18, Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters, resulting in the detention of more than 430 activists from various nations during an attempt to challenge the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
The incident drew international condemnation, particularly after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, released a video mocking the activists while they were restrained. In response to the video, France has banned Ben Gvir from entering the country.
Upon returning to France on May 22, several French participants described a violent and degrading experience. Among the more than 30 French nationals on board, two remain hospitalized in Turkiye, according to reports.
Testimonies from returnees included harrowing accounts of physical and psychological abuse. One activist reported being groped and slapped by a soldier while held in a dark container, expressing fear of sexual assault. Another described detainees being forced into “stress positions”—kneeling with their foreheads to the ground for extended periods—while the Israeli national anthem was played repeatedly.
When asked to address allegations of physical and psychological violence, sexual harassment, and assault, the Israeli prison service stated that the accusations are “entirely without factual basis.”
Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, remarked that the treatment of the flotilla activists, while severe, is “a luxury compared to what is inflicted on Palestinians in Israeli prisons.”

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