France has asked for the public prosecutor to investigate the treatment of French nationals who were part of a recent activist flotilla heading for Gaza, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday.
"Based on a report I requested from our Consul General in Turkey, who informed me of sexual violence, exposure to the cold, beatings and repeated humiliation of French nationals, all of these acts are likely to constitute criminal offenses and I decided yesterday to refer the matter to the public prosecutor," Barrot told France Inter radio.
Organizers of the flotilla that was detained last week during an attempt to bring aid to Gaza said activists were subjected to abuse, with several hospitalized with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.
The activists have since been released.
The lawyers for the French flotilla activists said that they would file a separate complaint over the violence their clients were subjected to, including humiliation, rape and acts of torture.
They declined an invitation from Barrot's cabinet to discuss the matter, saying in a statement that "the buzz from the minister's declarations will not make us forget that the French government has supported the state of Israel since the beginning of the genocide."
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the village of Ain Qana in southern Lebanon, urging residents to "move away" from the targeted area "no less than 1 km."
IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee said on X media that "Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities and their combat means exposes their life to danger!"
#عاجل ‼️انذار عاجل الى سكان لبنان المتواجدين في قرية عين قانا
🔸في ضوء قيام حزب الله الارهابي بخرق اتفاق وقف اطلاق النار يضطر جيش الدفاع للعمل ضده بقوة. جيش الدفاع لا ينوي المساس بكم.
🔸حرصًا على سلامتكم، عليكم إخلاء منازلكم فوراً والابتعاد عن القرية لمسافة لا تقل عن 1000 متر Show more
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday told reporters that Washington was "not there yet" with Iran on an agreement but that the parties were close, adding that the U.S. was in a position where it could substantially set back Tehran's nuclear program.
The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Thursday to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pending U.S. President Donald Trump's approval, sources told Reuters.
Vance said there were a couple of sticking points in talks with Tehran concerning its enriched uranium stockpile and the question of enrichment.
"It's hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU. We're going back and forth on a couple of language points," Vance said.
"I can't guarantee that we're going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it," he said.
Israel's UN mission in New York is cutting off contact with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres after Israel was placed on a UN blacklist and accused of using sexual violence as a weapon of war.
The shameful and absurd UN decision to include Israeli entities in the annex to the CRSV report is further proof of the UN’s true nature: a politicized and corrupt organization that has abandoned its founding principles and systematically targets Israel as its primary mission.
"We're done with this Secretary-General!" Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon wrote on X on Thursday.
According to Israel's Foreign Ministry, Israeli institutions have been included in the annex of an annual report on sexual violence in conflict compiled by the Secretary-General's office. The report has not yet been made public.
Israel is especially upset that its security services are being added to the UN's blacklist regarding sexual violence in conflict zones.
The same list includes Hamas and Islamist terror groups who participated in the October 7 attacks.
A separate X post from Israel's UN mission added: "Ambassador Danon sharply attacked him and set him straight on the lies and the political campaign that the Secretary-General is trying to wage at Israel's expense.
"At the end of the conversation, Ambassador Danon informed him in a clear and unequivocal manner that we are done with UN Secretary-General Guterres."
The secretary-general's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said they had learned of Israel's decision from social media and were ready for talks at any time. Dujarric did not provide any information on the report's content.
