PARIS, May 29, 2026 (WAFA) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Friday that France has asked prosecutors to open an investigation into Israel’s treatment of French citizens who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip to break the blockade.
According to Agence France-Presse, Barrot said the decision came “based on a report requested from our consul general in Turkey following reports of sexual assaults, extreme cold, beatings and repeated humiliation” against participants, acts he said “likely constitute criminal offenses.”
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had announced earlier this week that his government was considering legal action over Israel’s horrific treatment of activists aboard the Gaza flotilla.
In the same context, Barrot previously confirmed that France had decided to ban far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering French territory, while also calling on the European Union to impose sanctions on him over the treatment of activists participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
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