Tebboune Discusses His Expected Visited to France with Macron

The Algerian and French presidents in Algeria in August 2022. (Algerian Presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in Algeria in August 2022. (Algerian Presidency)
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Tebboune Discusses His Expected Visited to France with Macron

The Algerian and French presidents in Algeria in August 2022. (Algerian Presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in Algeria in August 2022. (Algerian Presidency)

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron his expected visit to France.
The Algerian presidency said that the two presidents exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the new year.
The state visit of Tebboune to France is "still the subject of preparations", affirmed the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf, specifying that it depends on the settlement of five files.
Attaf listed the issues of memory, mobility, economic cooperation, the French nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, as well as the return of symbolic belongings of Emir Abdelkader - the founder of the modern Algerian state.
Ties between France and Algeria have been frosty since the statements made by Macron in October 2021 when he questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before French colonialism.
The fact that French intelligence evacuated Algerian activist Amira Bouraoui from Tunisia to France in 2023 also caused tension in the ties between both countries.
At the beginning of August, Tebboune declared that his state visit to France was "still maintained" but depended "on the program" of the Élysée, specifying that a "state visit has conditions" and "no "It's not a tourist visit."
In August 2022, Macron arrived in Algeria hoping to repair fractured relations with a nation whose oil and gas reserves have new strategic significance because of Europe's looming energy crisis.
Moreover, Tebboune made a phone call with his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied.
They discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to develop it in all fields, in addition to international and regional issues of mutual interest.
On Sunday evening, the Algerian president promised as he addressed the Algerian people that the year 2024 would be full of achievements.
“We are today bidding farewell to the year 2023, which was rich in achievements and during which our beloved country has made great strides to achieve development in different fields,” said Tebboune.
On this occasion, the President of the Republic called on the Algerians to “continue the efforts, everyone at his level, to raise our country to higher ranks, so that the year 2024 will be full of achievements that will pave the way for our country to position itself among the developed countries.”
Algeria has allocated a budget that exceeds $110 billion for the year 2024. This is the biggest budget in the country’s history.



North Gaza Hospitals Say Food, Medicines Running Out as Israel Presses Offensive

An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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North Gaza Hospitals Say Food, Medicines Running Out as Israel Presses Offensive

An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli tank manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Palestinian health officials called on Wednesday for a humanitarian corridor to three hospitals in northern Gaza that have come close to collapse as Israeli troops have cut off the area during almost two weeks of heavy bombardment.

Doctors at the Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda and the Indonesian hospitals have refused to leave their patients despite evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military at the start of a major push into the Jabalia area of northern Gaza 12 days ago.

"We are calling on the international community, the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, to play their humanitarian role by opening up a corridor towards our healthcare system and allow the entry of fuel, medical, delegations, supplies and food," said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, Reuters reported.

"We are talking about more than 300 medical staff working at Kamal Adwan Hospital, and we can't provide even a single meal for them to be able to offer medical services safely."

Jabalia, home to one of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, was cleared early in the war by Israeli troops pushing through northern Gaza but Hamas fighters have re-established themselves in the area.

Palestinian health officials said the new Israeli offensive has killed around 350 Palestinians in Jabalia and nearby areas. In Gaza City on Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike on a house killed 13 people, medics said. In its daily update, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli military strikes had killed 65 Palestinians across the enclave in the past 24 hours.

The dire humanitarian situation has prompted worldwide alarm, with the United States issuing one of its strongest warnings to Israel that it must improve the situation or face potential restrictions on military aid.

The Israeli military says it has killed more than 50 Palestinian fighters over the past days in airstrikes and close quarters combat as troops try to root out Hamas forces operating as guerrillas in the rubble.

It has told people to evacuate to what it said were safer areas in the south, fuelling fears among Palestinians that the drive is aimed at clearing them from northern Gaza permanently as part of a plan to control the enclave.

Israel has denied the evacuation orders are part of a systematic clearance plan, saying they have been issued to ensure people's safety and separate them from militants.

- AID SUPPLIES

The Israeli military denies restricting supplies, saying that since Oct 1, more than 9,000 tons of humanitarian aid including food, water, gas, shelter equipment, and medical supplies have entered Gaza through various crossings.

It said some of that aid was transferred directly into northern Gaza, where the United Nations estimates some 400,000 Palestinians remain.

However, how much of that has reached those in need in northern Gaza remains unclear.

"Nothing entered northern Gaza. People in northern Gaza are starving," said Hadeel Obeid, a supervisor nurse at the Indonesian Hospital, where 28 patients were being treated.

"Our administrative manager provides just one meal for all persons including doctors, nurses, patients, and their companions. It's a small amount, not enough for an adult person," she told Reuters via a messaging app.

Medical supplies were running down due to the daily demands of caring for the wounded, she said.