Watan-A stir erupted in France after the revelation of the involvement of 4,185 French soldiers in committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as they fought alongside the occupying army.
Thomas Portes, a member of the French parliament from the opposition party France Unbowed, sent a letter to the Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti, urging the government to conduct an investigation into the involvement of French soldiers in combat alongside the occupying forces in Gaza and the commission of war crimes in Palestinian territories.
J’ai officiellement adressé un courrier au ministre de la Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti pour lui demander d’utiliser son pouvoir d’instruction afin que des enquêtes soient ouvertes concernant les 4000 français présents sur le front à #Gaza au sein de l’armée israélienne. En cas de… pic.twitter.com/gR7yV1KcO1
— Thomas Portes (@Portes_Thomas) December 20, 2023
Portes demanded that the soldiers involved be brought to justice in the French legal system if it is proven that they committed war crimes, revealing that he would submit a request to the public prosecutor’s office regarding this matter.
Portes stated, ‘Considering the war crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza and the West Bank, it is unacceptable for French citizens to participate in these crimes.’
Thomas Portes pointed out that there are 4,185 French soldiers serving in the Israeli army in Gaza, and that France ranks second after the United States in this regard.”
Foreign Fighters in the Ranks of the Occupying Army
It is noteworthy that since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7th of last year, the participation of large numbers of dual nationals and foreign mercenaries fighting in the ranks of the occupying army has been revealed.
French soldiers rank second after the United States in terms of dual nationality within the Israeli occupying army.
An investigation by the Spanish newspaper ‘El Mundo’ revealed weeks ago that the Israeli occupation has been employing mercenaries since October 7th of last year.
Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
The occupying army has committed numerous war crimes during the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, now completing its third month.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights reported shocking testimonies about field executions carried out by Israeli forces against civilians during home invasions in incursion areas in the Gaza Strip.
The Observatory confirmed receiving repeated testimonies about humanitarian atrocities committed by the occupying forces in the areas they invade.
It explained that in many cases, soldiers deliberately open fire and carry out extrajudicial killings of civilian youths, while women and children are subjected to humiliating abuse, indicating that these actions are part of revenge operations against civilians that violate international humanitarian law.
The Observatory affirmed that field killings and executions are among the heinous violations practiced by Israeli forces in incursion areas, including looting, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, torture, and widespread destruction without any necessity or proportionality.