French nationals involved in war crimes in Gaza should be tried in court, says lawmaker

By Feiza Ben Mohamed

NICE, France (AA) - Those of over 4,000 French or dual nationals who have been taking part in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip should stand trial if found to be involved in war crimes, a lawmaker in France said on Monday.

"Europe 1, one of the leading radio broadcasting stations in France, revealed that a total of 4,185 French or Franco-Israeli individuals were fighting alongside the Israeli army on the front in Gaza. This is the largest contingent after that of the US," Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from La France Insoumise (LFI), told Anadolu.

Portes called for criminal prosecutions against those involved in war crimes perpetrated by Israel in Palestinian territories, including those committed during Israel's air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Expressing concern over the situation, Portes said: "France must condemn with the greatest firmness this participation in war crimes."

He called on the justice minister to try French nationals, including those with dual citizenship, guilty of war crimes.

Highlighting that "colonization constitutes a crime against humanity," Portes said French citizens who took part in atrocities in Palestinian territories should also be held accountable before the courts.

Portes added that if the Justice Ministry does not take prompt action to do so, he "reserves the right to make a report to the Public Prosecutor of Paris" and plans to publicly challenge the government on the matter during a future session of questions at the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the French National Assembly.

This concern has been voiced earlier by several other organizations, including the Association France Palestine Solidarite, which issued a press release urging accountability for French nationals involved in war crimes.

The AFPS also raised questions about the responsibility of French settlers in war crimes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, adding that if French nationals are involved in abuses against the Palestinian population, they must be held accountable.

French news outlets revealed early in December that many of the country's citizens are currently fighting in the Israeli army, sparking outrage in France.

​​​​​​​Israel's air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas have killed at least 19,453 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,286 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The war has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara