Paris: The French judiciary has opened an investigation into allegations of torture and war crimes linked to the treatment of French activists who were aboard the Freedom Flotilla, which was en route to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has tasked the Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes with conducting a preliminary investigation into suspicions of torture, as defined under the New York Convention of 10 December 1984, and war crimes.
French Foreign Minister Jean-No«l Barrot had previously confirmed that France requested the opening of an investigation into Israel's treatment of French activists who participated in the Global Freedom Flotilla en route to the Gaza Strip to break the blockade.
The development follows the publication of a video by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir that sparked widespread outrage, showing activists from the flotilla being mistreated and detained, including scenes of humiliation and being forced to kneel with their hands tied.
The video, published by Ben Gvir on the X platform, showed him walking among around 430 detained activists surrounded by Israeli police and soldiers, while he waved a large Israeli flag.