Tunisian National Guard Intensifies Search for 40 Missing Migrants

Migrants try to reach Europe from the Tunisian coast. (AFP)
Migrants try to reach Europe from the Tunisian coast. (AFP)
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Tunisian National Guard Intensifies Search for 40 Missing Migrants

Migrants try to reach Europe from the Tunisian coast. (AFP)
Migrants try to reach Europe from the Tunisian coast. (AFP)

The search for a boat carrying around 40 Tunisian migrants, which disappeared a week ago, remains ongoing, according to a security official in Tunisia.

Hossam El-Din El-Jababli, spokesperson for the National Guard, informed the German Press Agency (dpa) on Wednesday that there is currently no information available regarding the whereabouts of the missing migrants.

The search operations, conducted at sea and by helicopters, are focused on the Sfax and Mahdia coasts.

Expressing frustration over the lack of updates since the boat's disappearance, families of the missing migrants reportedly erected roadblocks and set tires ablaze in the town of El Hancha on Tuesday, as reported by local media.

Relatives who lost contact with the migrants alerted the National Guard, prompting the launch of the search efforts, said El-Jababli.

According to security information, the boat set sail from the Sfax coast late at night on January 10, aiming to cross the Mediterranean for entry into Italy. The Italian authorities have provided no information regarding the incident.

Tunisian coasts have experienced a surge in migrant journeys seeking routes to Italy, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa. Thousands of migrants from this region reside in coastal cities.

Eastern Tunisia, alongside Libya, is the main departure point for thousands of illegal migrants escaping to Europe.

During the first 11 months of 2023, Tunisian authorities intercepted 69,963 migrants, compared to 31,297 in the same period in 2022, according to figures shared by the National Guard.

Of that figure, 77.5 percent (54,224) were foreigners, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, while the remainder (15,739) were Tunisian, compared to 59% foreigners in 2022.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 2,270 people died attempting to cross the central Mediterranean in 2023, a 60 percent increase from the previous year.



Trump Says there Could Be a Gaza Deal Next Week

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
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Trump Says there Could Be a Gaza Deal Next Week

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

President Donald Trump said on Friday it was good that Hamas said it had responded in "a positive spirit" to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal.

He told reporters aboard Air Force One there could be a deal on a Gaza ceasefire by next week but that he had not been briefed on the current state of negotiations.

Hamas announced on Friday that it has completed its internal consultations, as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces, regarding the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators to end the assault on the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement, the movement confirmed that it had submitted its response to the mediators, describing it as positive. Hamas also expressed its readiness to immediately engage in serious negotiations on the mechanism for implementing the proposed framework.

A Palestinian official familiar with the matter told Reuters that Hamas had submitted its response to the US-brokered ceasefire proposal, describing it as positive and likely to facilitate reaching an agreement.