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Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
French woman files complaint against Israel over killing of grandchildren in Gaza
A grandmother has filed a complaint for murder and genocide against Israeli authorities, accusing them of responsibility for killing her two Palestinian-French grandchildren in Gaza. Israeli forces killed six-year-old Abderrahim Abudaher and nine-year-old Janna Abudaher in northern Gaza on 24 October 2023. Their maternal grandmother, Jacqueline Rivault - a French national living in France - filed the complaint on Friday in Paris alongside the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH). The filing, submitted to the crimes against humanity unit of the Paris judicial court, accuses Israeli authorities of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. This is the first complaint brought before the French courts based on the passive personality principle - that is, based on the victims' French nationality - to address the issue of responsibility for these crimes, the LDH said. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters This civil action complaint seeks the appointment of an investigating judge. The victims' French nationality could trigger the direct jurisdiction of the French courts and lead them to rule on these accusations of "genocide". "This complaint aims to contribute to preventing and prosecuting those responsible, whether soldiers or politicians, for the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which indiscriminately affects the entire civilian population of the enclave," the LDH said. According to the 43-page complaint, which has been shared with Middle East Eye, the "extreme violence" and "regular bombardments" by the Israeli army on Gaza after 7 October led the family to take refuge in a house in the northern Gaza Strip, between Fallujah and Beit Lahia. There, the house was targeted by "two F16 missiles fired by the Israeli army," one of which hit "through the roof and the second directly into the bedroom where the family was staying". First Gaza genocide cases against French nationals filed in Paris Read More » Abderrahim died "instantly" and Janna shortly after being transferred to the hospital, according to the complaint. Their younger brother, Omar, was seriously wounded but still lives in Gaza, as does his mother, Yasmine Z. The complaint accuses the Israeli authorities of genocide because the bombing is presented as part of a plan to "eliminate the Palestinian population and subject them to conditions of existence likely to bring about the destruction of their group". Though it is filed against unknown persons, it specifically names Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, members of the Israeli government and the Israeli army. The complaint notes that the intention to eradicate the Palestinian people was evident from the statements made by political and military leaders, in particular Netanyahu. The aim of the complaint, explained Rivault's lawyer Arie Alimi, is to ensure the arrest of those responsible. "Those who were involved, in one way or another, in acts that could be classified as crimes against humanity or genocide, must know that upon leaving Israel's borders, they can be arrested anywhere," he said. Rivault's only daughter, Yasmine, had gone to Gaza to do humanitarian work. It was there that she met her husband. Her mother said the French government "should have evacuated the French nationals living in the Gaza Strip". The 'weapon' of criminal law The LDH said The complaint is intended to have a political impact and is one of many efforts aimed at bringing "these crimes" to an end as soon as possible. Its president, Nathalie Tehio, qualified criminal law as 'a weapon that allows us to try to stop this infernal mechanism of genocide that we are witnessing." The LDH is part of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which was among the first groups to to declare that Israel was committing genocide, followed by Amnesty International a year later and Human Rights Watch. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) called on Israel to prevent any act of genocide. The Hind Rajab Foundation: Pursuing Israeli soldiers worldwide for Gaza war crimes Read More » Since then, a number of legal actions have been taken in connection with "genocide" accusations against Israel, for example in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany. In France, three complaints have been filed in recent months against French-Israeli nationals accused of genocide or complicity. Last December, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), along with three Palestinian organisations, filed a complaint against French-Israeli soldier Yoel O. He is accused of posting a video on social media showing detained Palestinians in white jumpsuits, blindfolded and handcuffed - one of whom appears to show visible signs of torture. The man behind the camera can be heard insulting the detainees in French. No judicial investigation has been opened in France to date. On Friday, the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office opened a judicial investigation into French-Israelis suspected of involvement in blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza between January and May 2024. The probe includes charges of complicity in genocide, incitement to genocide, and complicity in crimes against humanity, AFP reported, citing a source close to the case. The investigation follows a complaint filed in November 2024 by the French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) and a French-Palestinian victim. The complaint accuses individuals of organising and participating in actions to block humanitarian aid to Gaza - specifically by physically obstructing aid trucks at Israeli-controlled border crossings. The civil action names figures reportedly with French nationality from two pro-Israel groups, Israel is Forever and Tzav-9.
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu admits Israel is backing gangs in Gaza to counter Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted his country is arming gangs in Gaza, which have been accused by aid groups of stealing lifesaving humanitarian aid, in a bid to counter the Palestinian movement Hamas. Netanyahu said on Thursday his government had "activated" powerful local clans in the enclave on the advice of "security officials," hours after former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman alleged the gang that Israel was backing was affiliated with the Islamic State group. "We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What's wrong with that?' Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. "It's only good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers." Hours earlier, Netanyahu's office said that "Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment." Read more: Netanyahu admits Israel is backing gangs in Gaza to counter Hamas
Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israeli settlers burn Palestinian homes and property in West Bank town
Israeli settlers set fire to several Palestinian properties and injuring dozens of residents in the occupied West Bank town of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, on Wednesday evening. Dozens of settlers carried out the widespread attack, which residents have described as a "holocaust". Medical sources in the town said that at least 30 Palestinians were wounded, most suffering head wounds caused by settlers throwing stones and beating them with sticks. Additionally, dozens of others experienced choking due to smoke from the fires. Settlers burned at least seven homes, 10 vehicles, sheep pens, and a horse stable, according to local media. The Israeli army arrived more than an hour after the settlers set fire to Palestinian property and prevented residents from approaching or extinguishing the flames, which allowed the fires to spread further. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Ahmed Jaber, a resident of the Deir Dibwan, told Middle East Eye that at 6pm on Wednesday, 80 settlers entered the outskirts of the town via the settlement road known as Route 60. They immediately set fire to a building that was home to around 45 people, and also torched nearby vehicles and a horse stable belonging to their neighbours. The settlers then moved to another area, setting fire to vehicles along the way and assaulting anyone who tried to confront them. 'One resident, who suffers from chronic illnesses, sustained a facial fracture after being assaulted by the settlers. He was left bleeding until he was eventually taken to a medical centre,' Jaber said. On Wednsday, Israeli settlers attacked the town of Deir Dibwan in the occupied West Bank, east of Ramallah, and burned Palestinian owned homes and vehicles. According to the official Palestinian news agency, dozens of settlers attacked homes in the town belonging to the Abu Kaid… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 4, 2025 Jaber added that an ambulance attempted to transport two wounded people to the government hospital in Ramallah, but the road was blocked by an Israeli military barrier. The ambulance was then forced to return to the town, where paramedics attempted to provide first aid. "The Israeli army stood on the settlement road, watching from a distance as everything unfolded and what we were being subjected to. After about an hour, they entered Deir Dibwan and prevented residents from extinguishing the fires," Jaber said. Residents rushed to save their livestock, but several animals were killed in the flames. A livestock feed store, a truck, and several barns were also destroyed. "The scene was unlike anything we've experienced before. Settlers have attacked the town in the past, but this was the most violent attack. We watched as property was reduced to ashes," he added. Israeli land theft Deir Dibwan has been constantly subjected to attacks by settlers in recent years, who have seized vast swaths of its land. The attacks have escalated since the current Israeli government, the most far-right in Israel's history, came to power in late 2022. The government then issued a decision to confiscate around 14,000 dunams of the town's land for military purposes. Israel to take full control of land registry in West Bank's Area C, cementing annexation Read More » The town's mayor, Imad Musabbeh, said that settler groups began targeting Deir Dibwan's land in April 2023, prior to the start of the war on Gaza. Since then, settlers have established four pastoral outposts and seized hundreds of dunams. More than 80 percent of Deir Dibwan's land has been confiscated, either through military decrees or settler attacks. "The settlers are preventing us from accessing our pastures and are seizing every area their cows and sheep can reach, under the full protection of the Israeli army," he told MEE. The town's residents can no longer graze their livestock anywhere but in their own yards - the only areas still accessible to them. Deir Dibwan is one of the leading Palestinian towns for livestock raising, the main source of income for its residents. However, this livelihood is now under threat due to a lack of grazing land and the continued targeting of residents by settlers through theft and violence. "We went to the Israeli courts several times and tried to stop the confiscation orders, but it seems they are political, not military. The goal is to seize as much of the town's land as possible and confine us to our homes. We have nothing left," the mayor said.
