PARIS

A French lawmaker urged the government Wednesday to investigate more than 4,000 citizens fighting in the Israeli army for war crimes in Palestinian territories.

Thomas Portes from the La France Insoumise (LFI) party wrote on X that he sent a letter to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, requesting an investigation into the 4,185 French-origin soldiers serving in the Israeli army in Gaza.

Underlining that French justice should hold the soldiers accountable if they are found to have committed war crimes, Portes said he would appeal to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Portes said the involvement of French citizens in the crimes is “unacceptable,” considering the war crimes by the Israeli army in Gaza and the West Bank.

"Europe 1, one of the leading radio broadcasting stations in France, revealed that a total of 4,185 French or Franco-Israeli individuals were fighting alongside the Israeli army on the front in Gaza. This is the largest contingent after that of the US," he told Anadolu on Monday.

The concern has been voiced earlier by several other organizations, including the Association France Palestine Solidarite, which issued a statement that urged accountability for French nationals involved in war crimes.

AFPS also raised questions about the responsibility of French settlers in war crimes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, adding that if French nationals are involved in abuses against the Palestinian population, they must be held accountable.

French news outlets revealed in early December that many of the country's citizens are currently fighting in the Israeli army, sparking outrage in France.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while nearly 130 hostages remain in captivity.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.