France has opened an investigation into an alleged “war crime” as well as “torture” over Israel’s treatment of French citizens who took part in the recent Gaza-bound activist flotilla, a prosecutor’s office said Friday.

The probe was opened at the government’s request, the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) said, after activists accused Israeli authorities of mistreatment during their detention last month.

Israel detained more than 430 activists from countries around the world after intercepting them in international waters beginning on May 18 as they made the latest in a string of attempts to break Israel’s blockade of the territory.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir then sparked widespread condemnation, both in Israel and abroad, after he posted a video mocking the flotilla activists while they were bound and kneeling.

France was one of multiple countries to ban Ben Gvir from entry over the incident.

Several French activists described what........

© The Times of Israel