A judicial investigation was opened in France regarding allegations that French activists who participated in the aid flotilla heading to Gaza were subjected to serious violations during their detention by Israel, against the backdrop of testimonies and reports that spoke of acts of torture and physical and sexual violence, which prompted the French authorities to refer the file to the Public Prosecutor.
Published on: 06/05/2026 - 16:34
The French judiciary opened an investigation into suspicions of “torture” and a “war crime” linked to Israel’s treatment of the activists of the aid flotilla heading to Gaza, following an official request from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Barrow announced in Paris, a week ago, that the French government had referred the file to the Public Prosecutor after receiving a report from the French consul in Turkey that included testimonies about the exposure of French citizens who participated in the fleet to repeated acts of physical violence and insults, in addition to allegations of sexual violence and ill-treatment during their detention.
Read also: Activists from the Gaza flotilla recount being subjected to “rape” and Israel describes the accusations as “false”
The organizers of the flotilla trip, whose boats and participants were seized last week during an attempt to deliver aid to Gaza, said that the activists on board the boats were subjected to ill-treatment, and a number of them were taken to hospital with injuries, and at least 15 activists reported being subjected to sexual assaults, including rape. The activists were later released.
Lawyers for the French activists who participated in the flotilla stated that they would file a separate complaint regarding the violence to which their clients were subjected, which included acts of humiliation, rape and torture.
The lawyers rejected an invitation from the Paris government to discuss the matter, and said in a statement: “The minister’s statements will not make us forget that the French government supports the State of Israel since the beginning of the genocide.”
France 24/AFP
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