France investigates alleged torture of Gaza aid flotilla activists by Israel

French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into alleged “torture” and “war crimes” linked to Israel’s treatment of French activists detained during a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month.

The investigation was launched on Friday after a referral from France’s foreign ministry, according to the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT).

The move follows accusations by activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla that they faced severe mistreatment while in Israeli custody.

Israel intercepted the flotilla in international waters on May 18 and detained around 430 activists from roughly 40 countries.

The group had been attempting to challenge the blockade on Gaza, which the United Nations and human rights organisations have described as illegal.

Several French activists who returned home on May 22 alleged they suffered violence, humiliation and abuse during detention.

One activist claimed a soldier groped and slapped her while she feared sexual assault, while another said detainees were forced into a “stress position” for hours while the Israeli national anthem played repeatedly.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Adalah legal director Suhad Bishara said: “Based on accounts received, and drawing on over a decade of representing flotilla participants, this appears to be the most severe case of ill-treatment documented in the past 10 years, potentially amounting to torture.”

Israel’s prison service rejected the accusations, telling AFP the claims were “entirely without factual basis”.