France to consider legal action over Israeli treatment of Gaza flotilla activists

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said France may refer the treatment of activists from the Gaza flotilla to French courts, describing the actions by Israeli forces as “odious” and “shocking” under international law. The French foreign minister, Jean‑Noël Barrot, confirmed that legal steps could be taken because many of the detained activists, including 37 French nationals, are French citizens. France also announced a ban on Israeli security minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering French territory and urged the EU to consider sanctions against him. The incident follows the interception of a flotilla that left Turkey on May 14, which resulted in the detention of 430 activists by Israeli authorities.