‘To Intimidate the Voices’ – France Detains Nurse Who Served at Gaza Hospital

French nurse Imane Maarifi. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“France continues to repress the voices of peace to cover up the genocide committed by the Israeli government.” French MP, Thomas Portes

France arrested a nurse who had spent 15 days volunteering in the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday, sparking a backlash.

Imane Maarifi’s home was searched before she was taken into police custody in front of her family, according to French MP, Thomas Portes. The medic was subsequently released without charge, he said.

“France continues to repress the voices of peace to cover up the genocide committed by the Israeli government,” Portes, an outspoken critic of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, said on X.

He later posted that she had been released.

“No prosecution,” Portes wrote, adding that the search of her home “in front of the family leaves no doubt about the desire to intimidate the voices that are raised to support the Palestinian people and demand an immediate ceasefire.”

Imane Maarifi, infirmière française,qui a été à Gaza quinze jours au sein de l'hôpital européen de Khan Younès vient d’être arrêtée par la police à son domicile. Elle est désormais en GAV. Nous l’avions reçue à l’Assemblée nationale pour écouter son témoignage. Elle avait décrit…

— Thomas Portes (@Portes_Thomas) September 5, 2024

Lawyer Rafik Chekkat also announced on X that she had been arrested, “While French soldiers who fought in Gaza enjoy total impunity.”

‘Real Estate’ Fair

Upon her release, Maarifi told reporters that she had been detained for “multiple death threats due to ethnicity, origin or race,” after making a phone call to the owners of a venue where a “real estate” fair was scheduled to take place in Paris on Sunday.

The fair reportedly promotes the sale of property in not only Israel but also the occupied Palestinian territories.

Imane Maarifi, infirmière française, qui a passé quinze jours au sein d’un hôpital à Gaza, a été remise en liberté ce jeudi après avoir été arrêtée et mise en garde à vue par la police. Elle explique les raisons de son arrestation pic.twitter.com/IgcBjLNPs9

— TRT Français (@trtfrancais) September 5, 2024

Maarifi confirmed making such a call once, advising those in charge of the venue where the event was to be held that the fair promoted the dispossession of Palestinian land and was in contravention of international law.

She said she wanted to be sure that the owner knew what she was welcoming – an Israeli real estate agent who would sell “stolen and colonized lands.”

“She hung up on me, I did not call back,” Maarifi explained.

ICJ Ruling

Earlier this year, Maarifi volunteered at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis and testified at the French National Assembly about her experience upon her return.

“Imane Maarifi has just been released. No charges were brought against her. This was yet another attempt to intimidate a Palestinian rights activist,” another French MP, Ersilia Soudais said on X.

Imane Maarifi vient d'être libérée.
Aucune charge n'a été retenue contre elle. C'était encore une fois une tentative d'intimidation à l'encontre d'une militante pour le respect des droits des Palestiniens.
Tout mon soutien à elle, ainsi qu'à sa famille.#FreePalestine

— Ersilia Soudais (@ErsiliaSoudais) September 5, 2024

In a landmark ruling in July, the International Court of Justice found that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory was unlawful and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible.”

The Court also ruled by 14 votes to one, that Israel was under an obligation “to immediately cease all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers” from the occupied land.

(The Palestine Chronicle)