TUNIS: Thirteen bodies believed to be of sub-Saharan African migrants have been found dead off Tunisia’s eastern coast, a judicial official told AFP on Wednesday.
The bodies were found Tuesday and Wednesday off the coastal towns of Salakta and Chebba, said Farid Ben Jha, the spokesman for the public prosecution in the Monastir and Mahdia governorates.
He added that an investigation has been opened but provided no further details.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya have become key departure points for migrants, often from other countries, who risk perilous Mediterranean Sea journeys in the hopes of reaching better lives in Europe.
Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt to make the crossing, with Italy — whose Lampedusa island is only 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Tunisia — often their first port of call.
Since January 1, at least 103 makeshift boats have capsized, and 341 bodies have been recovered off Tunisia’s coast, according to the interior ministry.
More than 1,300 people died or disappeared last year in shipwrecks off the North African country, according to the Tunisian FTDES rights group.
The International Organization for Migration has said that more than 30,309 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in the past decade, including more than 3,000 last year.
13 migrants found dead off Tunisia: official
https://arab.news/w7qay
13 migrants found dead off Tunisia: official
- The bodies were found Tuesday and Wednesday off the coastal towns of Salakta and Chebba
- Since January 1, at least 103 makeshift boats have capsized, and 341 bodies have been recovered off Tunisia’s coast
Israeli court postpones Netanyahu appearance in graft trial
“Following the explanations given... we partially accept the request and cancel at this stage Mr.Netanyahu’s hearings scheduled” for this week, the Jerusalem district court said in its ruling, published online by Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Netanyahu’s lawyers had asked the court to excuse him from testifying over the next two weeks so he could focus on security issues following a ceasefire with Iran and amid ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held.
They had submitted Netanyahu’s schedule to the court to demonstrate “the national need for the prime minister to devote all his time and energy to the political, national and security issues at hand.”
The court initially rejected the lawyers’ request but said in its ruling on Sunday that it had changed its judgment after hearing arguments from the prime minister, the head of military intelligence and the chief of the Mossad spy agency.
Trump on Saturday said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the United States was “not going to stand” for the continued prosecution, prompting Netanyahu to thank him in a message on X.
Earlier in the week, the US president had described the case against the Israeli premier as a “witch hunt,” saying the trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid reacted by saying that Trump “should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country.”
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing in the corruption affair and his supporters have described the long-running trial as politically motivated.
In one of the cases, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors.
In two others, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.
The prime minister has requested multiple postponements to the trial since it began in May 2020.
During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu’s government has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts and prompted massive protests that were only curtailed by the onset of the Gaza war.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired on Saturday, former prime minister Naftali Bennett accused Netanyahu of deepening divisions in Israeli society, and said that he “must go.”
Netanyahu “has been in power for 20 years... that’s too much, it’s not healthy,” Bennett said.
The former right-wing premier managed to form a coalition in 2021 that ousted Netanyahu from the premiership after 12 consecutive years, but it collapsed before the end of the following year.
Bennett is rumored to be planning a comeback, with public opinion polls suggesting he may have enough support to oust Netanyahu again. He declined to comment on that prospect in Saturday’s interview.
Egyptian foreign minister urges recognition of Palestine in talks with EU envoy to Middle East
- Badr Abdelatty met in Cairo with Christophe Bigot, EU special representative for the Middle East peace process
- Abdelatty’s remarks followed those of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said France is ‘determined to recognize the state of Palestine’
LONDON: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday emphasized the urgent need to recognize Palestinian statehood on the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He made his comment during a meeting in Cairo with Christophe Bigot, the EU’s special representative for the Middle East peace process. Abdelatty said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve lasting peace, security and stability in the region, the Wafa news agency reported.
He hoped for the broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and for the organization of an international conference aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue through peaceful means.
Abdelatty’s remarks followed those of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said on Sunday during an interview with the French LCI news channel that France is “determined to recognize the State of Palestine,” emphasizing the urgent need for international action in light of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
A French-Saudi conference to drum up international support for the recognition of the state of Palestine was due to start in mid-June, but the organizers postponed it because of the Iranian-Israeli conflict and elevated tensions in the region.
“We are committed to recognizing the state of Palestine, and this will happen as part of a joint initiative that encourages all parties to create the necessary conditions for the establishment of that state,” Barrot said.
He called the killing of hundreds of Palestinian aid seekers by Israeli forces in recent weeks in Gaza “a disgrace and an affront to human dignity.”
Syria denies reports of assassination attempt on President Al-Sharaa
- SANA did not provide further details about the reported incident or its origins
DAMASCUS: Syria’s Ministry of Information on Sunday denied reports that an attempt was made on the life of interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa during a recent visit to the southern city of Daraa, Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
A ministry source, quoted by state news agency SANA on Sunday, dismissed the claims as false, saying: “What was circulated by several media outlets about the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish intelligence foiling an assassination attempt on President Ahmad Al-Sharaa during his visit to Daraa is untrue.”
SANA did not provide further details about the reported incident or its origins.
Al-Sharaa has led the Syrian Arab Republic’s transitional administration since January, following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime. Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly a quarter of a century, fled to Russia in December.
Israeli security service says 60 Hamas members arrested in West Bank
HEBRON: Israel’s security service said Sunday it had broken up a network of Hamas militants in the occupied West Bank suspected of planning attacks, arresting 60 of the group’s members.
The Shin Bet internal security agency said in a statement that “a significant, complex, and large-scale Hamas infrastructure was exposed” in the West Bank town of Hebron.
It said it broke up 10 militant cells that “operated to carry out attacks in various formats in the immediate time frame.”
Hamas leaders “worked to recruit, arm, and train additional Hamas operatives from the area to carry out shooting and bombing attacks against Israeli targets,” according to the statement.
Shin Bet said the three-month joint operation with the military and police was its biggest investigation in the West Bank “in the past decade.”
It said terrorism charges were being filed against the suspects.
Hamas did not immediately comment on the statement.
US embassy in Bahrain returns to normal operations
The US Embassy in Bahrain said on Sunday that it has returned to normal staffing and operations, according to a post by the embassy on X.
Shortly before this month’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the US military had allowed families of service members in Bahrain to depart the country temporarily.
Message for U.S. Citizens
— U.S. Embassy Manama (@USEmbassyManama) June 29, 2025
June 29, 2025
The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain has returned to normal staffing and operations. We continue to advise U.S. citizens in Bahrain to exercise caution and review security announcements as they are issued. pic.twitter.com/QkXLNdydwa
