French judicial authorities have initiated a significant legal proceeding by issuing arrest warrants for two French-Israeli women, Nili Kupfer-Naouri and Rachel Touitou, for their alleged involvement in obstructing humanitarian aid convoys destined for the Gaza Strip. The warrants, reported by Le Monde, form part of a broader investigation into French citizens participating in activities that disrupt critical aid deliveries during the ongoing conflict.
Kupfer-Naouri, who leads the organization Israel Is Forever, and Touitou, an activist associated with the group Tsav 9, face accusations of complicity and incitement to genocide. The judicial action follows formal complaints submitted by French-Palestinian citizens and human rights organizations urging prosecution of dual nationals directly involved in hampering lifesaving assistance during Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
The case gains international context as Tsav 9 has been designated a ‘violent extremist Israeli group’ by the U.S. Department of State in June 2024 for systematically blocking, harassing, and damaging humanitarian aid convoys. According to investigations, group members employed tactics including road blockades, truck vandalism, and destruction of vital supplies, with a particularly severe incident occurring on May 13, 2024, when members looted and burned two aid trucks near Hebron in the West Bank.
Touitou has publicly criticized the French justice system, alleging biased prioritization of complaints from pro-Palestinian organizations. Conversely, complainants have welcomed the warrants as a necessary step toward accountability. The French Jewish Organisation for Peace (UJFP) emphasized that the warrants reflect the serious nature of ‘collaboration in genocide’ through concrete actions.
The international response has extended beyond judicial measures, with Meta suspending Tsav 9’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in May 2024 for organizing raids on aid convoys, and the European Union imposing sanctions on the group for exacerbating human suffering and committing serious human rights abuses in Gaza.