Paris – In a landmark legal move against the Zionist regime’s impunity, French-Lebanese activist and international law researcher Dr. Lyna al-Tabal has filed a formal complaint in France against extremist Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The lawsuit accuses the Zionist official of direct responsibility for torture, war crimes, kidnapping, and arbitrary detention during the illegal interception of a humanitarian aid vessel bound for besieged Gaza.
Submitted on September 8, 2026, by French lawyer Jean Louis Achache to the Paris Judicial Court’s specialised unit for crimes against humanity, the complaint outlines harrowing violations inflicted upon Dr. al-Tabal. She was among the passengers aboard the Captain Nikos, a civilian vessel participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Illegal Interception in International Waters
The ordeal began in the early hours of October 2, 2025. While navigating peacefully in international waters—approximately 50 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza—Captain Nikos was violently intercepted by Israeli occupation forces. The vessel, carrying crucial humanitarian aid and strictly devoid of any military equipment, was boarded by force. Occupation troops pointed weapons at the activists, illegally diverting the ship to the port of Ashdod.
Systematic Torture and Psychological Warfare
According to the legal filing, Dr. al-Tabal was subjected to a calculated campaign of physical and psychological torture from the moment of her abduction. The Zionist occupation forces denied her food and water for prolonged periods, subjected her to physical beatings, and hurled death threats.
The abuse reached deplorable levels during invasive searches, where al-Tabal was assaulted and her clothes forcibly removed, leaving her exposed in front of male guards in a blatant violation of her dignity. In one instance, she was struck and knocked to the ground, resulting in bleeding from her ear. Female guards reportedly dragged her by the hair before locking her and three other women in a confined metal cage, deliberately exposing them to extreme heat and suffocating conditions.
The psychological torture was equally sadistic. Detainees were denied sleep, stripped of their right to legal counsel, and repeatedly forced to watch footage of the Zionist regime’s genocidal destruction of Gaza and videos from October 7, blasted alongside deafening aircraft sounds and loud music to break their morale.
Ben-Gvir’s Midnight Raid
The complaint heavily implicates extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, highlighting his direct, hands-on role in the abuse. Around 4:00 a.m., Ben-Gvir stormed the women’s detention cell flanked by an armed unit and attack dogs.
He ordered the detained activists to kneel and squat while soldiers pointed their weapons directly at their heads. Ben-Gvir verbally abused the women, labelling them “terrorists,” and threatened them with life imprisonment, sneering that their home countries would be powerless to help them. Upon learning that Dr. al-Tabal was a French national, Ben-Gvir personally approached and interrogated her.
Piercing the Shield of Immunity
Dr. al-Tabal’s lawsuit is part of a wider judicial reckoning in France. According to a recent investigation by Le Monde, 26 French citizens who participated in similar humanitarian sea missions have filed complaints with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office. These cases involve three separate flotilla interceptions by the Zionist entity between October 2025 and May 2026.
Addressing the core of her legal battle, Dr. al-Tabal emphasised the peaceful nature of their mission. “We did not go to Gaza carrying weapons, but we carried food, solidarity, and a message of life to civilians,” she stated. “Intercepting a civilian vessel in international waters, then torturing and humiliating its passengers, cannot remain outside accountability. This complaint is not only a defence of my rights, but of every civilian who tried to reach a besieged people. We are placing our testimonies before the French judiciary so that political immunity does not become a shield from justice.”
The legal proceedings aim to establish not just individual criminal acts, but the entire chain of command within the Zionist regime that enables such atrocities, sending a clear message that the world’s courts are slowly closing the net on the occupation’s war criminals.
Reference: Al-Mayadeen