France has opened an investigation into an alleged "war crime" and "torture" over Israel's treatment of French activists who took part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a prosecutor's office said on 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 on May 18th as they made the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation after he posted a video mocking the flotilla activists while they were bound.
France banned Ben Gvir from entry over the incident.
