French Lawyer Seeks Probe Into Ben-Gvir Over Treatment of Gaza Flotilla Activist

By Staff, Agencies

A complaint has been filed before the French judiciary seeking an investigation into the personal responsibility of "Israeli" Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other officials over alleged torture, war crimes, kidnapping, and arbitrary detention involving French-Lebanese activist and international law researcher Dr. Lyna al-Tabal.

The complaint was submitted on September 8, 2026, by French lawyer Jean Louis Achache on behalf of al-Tabal before the Paris Judicial Court's unit for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

It concerns alleged violations she suffered after "Israeli" occupation forces intercepted the civilian vessel she was aboard as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to reach Gaza.

The case comes as a broader French judicial process is underway concerning French citizens who participated in humanitarian maritime missions to Gaza.

According to an investigation by Le Monde, 26 French citizens have filed complaints with France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office alleging torture, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The complaints reportedly concern three separate interceptions between October 2025 and May 2026. French prosecutors opened preliminary investigations into two of the operations during the summer and referred them to the Central Office for the Suppression of Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, and Hate Crimes.

Al-Tabal's complaint concerns the interception of the civilian vessel Captain Nikos on October 2, 2025, in international waters around 50 nautical miles from Gaza.

According to the complaint, the vessel was unarmed and carrying out a peaceful humanitarian mission when "Israeli" forces boarded it, threatened passengers with weapons, and diverted it to the port of Ashdod.

The complaint alleges that al-Tabal was subjected to prolonged deprivation of food and water, beatings, insults, death threats, degrading searches, and violations of her privacy.

She reportedly suffered bleeding from her ear after being struck and knocked to the ground, while a female guard allegedly pulled her hair and assaulted her.

Al-Tabal further alleges that she and other women were confined in metal cages under extreme heat, later exposed to severe cold and suffocating conditions, and eventually held in an overcrowded cell designed for five people. She also says detainees were deprived of sleep and denied access to lawyers.

According to the complaint, the detainees were repeatedly forced to watch images of destruction in Gaza and footage from October 7 accompanied by aircraft and bombardment sounds and loud music, which al-Tabal described as part of organized psychological torture.