France opens war crimes probe after 'Israeli' airstrike kills two French children

• French prosecutors open war crimes probe into 'Israeli' airstrike that killed two children in Gaza.

The French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has requested an investigation into war crimes regarding the deaths of two French children in an 'Israeli' airstrike on Gaza in October 2023, according to sources familiar with the case who spoke to AFP.

However, the office concluded there was no basis to investigate allegations of genocide or crimes against humanity, despite such claims made by the children’s grandmother and the French Human Rights League in their complaint.

The victims, Jana Abu Daher, 6, and Abdel Rahim Abu Daher, 9, were killed on October 24, 2023, seventeen days after a major attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel.

The children’s grandmother, Jacqueline Revolt, filed a lawsuit on their mother’s behalf, accusing 'Israel' of murder and genocide, while the French Human Rights League joined the case as a civil party.

According to the complaint, repeated 'Israeli' airstrikes forced the family to seek shelter in a home in northern Gaza, which was later hit by two missiles. One missile struck the bedroom where the family was staying. Abdel Rahim was killed instantly, and Jana died shortly afterward.

Their younger brother, Omar, and their mother, Yasmin Z., were seriously injured in the attack.

Three months after the complaint was filed, the French prosecutor requested a judge to open an investigation against unknown individuals for war crimes, citing a “deliberate attack on civilians” and strikes on civilian property that did not constitute a legitimate military target.

The children’s grandmother’s lawyer, Arie Alimi, told AFP: “We are pleased that the prosecutor’s office agreed to open an investigation and accepted our civil lawsuit. The 'Israeli' airstrike that killed these two French children will now be investigated.”

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Daoud, lawyer for the French Human Rights League, expressed regret that “even before the investigation begins, the prosecutor seems determined to limit the probe to war crimes only.”

Other complaints have been filed in France regarding possible violations against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Last summer, NGOs including the International Federation for Human Rights and the French Human Rights League filed a complaint against two 'Israeli' soldiers from the elite “Ghost Unit,” accusing them of carrying out extrajudicial executions of civilians in Gaza.