Two Israeli women with dual French citizenship said Monday they were blindsided by French legal summonses accusing them of serious offenses over their roles in protests against humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Rachel Tuito, spokesperson for the protest movement Tzav 9, and attorney Nili Kupfer-Naouri, chair of the Israel Forever NGO, said they first learned about the summonses through French media reports. Both are accused of “complicity in genocide” and “public and direct incitement to genocide,” following their involvement in efforts to block aid convoys headed to Gaza.
Tzav 9 blocking Gaza-bound humanitarian aid convoy
(Video: Tzav 9)
“I’m an easy target, but the real objective here is to harm IDF soldiers,” Tuito told ynet. “I intend to fight this.”
The French daily Le Monde first reported the legal steps on Sunday, citing complaints filed in May 2025. According to the report, Tzav 9 led physical disruptions of aid shipments, while Israel Forever called for participation and mobilized volunteers.
Tuito condemned the accusations as an attempt to criminalize pro-Israel activism in Europe. “France has become Iran,” she said. “When did waving the Israeli flag become a war crime? We protested because we couldn’t bear the thought of aid going in while our hostages and soldiers were still inside Gaza.”
She said her protest involved minor disruptions to public order and rejected the notion that it amounted to incitement or complicity in violence. “I spoke to foreign media to raise awareness. The aid still went in. Now they accuse me of genocide?”
Tuito said she would not travel to France due to ongoing threats and has hired prominent French attorney Gilles-William Goldnadel. “This isn’t just my fight, it’s the fight of every dual-national Israeli soldier who could be next,” she said.
Kupfer-Naouri also said she had no intention of appearing in court in person and stressed that no arrest warrant had been issued. “Let’s be precise, this is a summons, not a warrant,” she told ynet. “I haven’t received any official notice. But I feel enormous pride. I stood up for my country.”
She cited safety concerns in refusing to travel, saying she would offer to testify via video. “France can’t guarantee my security,” she said. “There have already been threats, and the atmosphere on the streets is increasingly hostile to Jews and Israelis.”
Kupfer-Naouri added that she believes the case is being used to placate growing unrest. “The aim is to calm the far-left and Muslim street in France,” she said. “I started an NGO to help French Jews make aliyah because it’s no longer safe there.”
The Foreign Ministry has not yet contacted the women, though the Israeli embassy in Paris has reportedly reached out to their legal teams.
In a statement, Tzav 9 called the French move “a mark of shame” for a Western democracy and said it rewarded terror while punishing peaceful protest. The group said Tuito acted “within her democratic rights” to oppose aid being “delivered directly into the hands of Hamas murderers.”
“No arrest warrant or attempt at international intimidation will weaken our resolve,” the statement read. “We are proud of Racheli and will stand with her fully in this just legal battle.”