Tunisia's PM-designate Approves 18-month Political ‘Truce’

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Tunisia's PM-designate Approves 18-month Political ‘Truce’

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi has expressed willingness to convene with political parties represented in the parliament.

He also welcomed on Thursday all initiatives to form the new government, including a proposal made by the People's Movement for a so-called 18-month political “truce.”

During a press conference, Mechichi stressed the importance of solidarity among various ministers.

As for the government’s program, Mechichi revealed that he will draft a document, on resolving economic and social problems, to be proposed to the parliament.

Tunisian parties have expressed conditional support to Mechichi’s proposed lineup. The People's Movement introduced an initiative that aims to overcome a political trust crisis, while Tahya Tounes insisted on three conditions to back the government.

President of the Free Destourian Party (PDL) Abir Moussim, in an open letter to the PM-designate, said that PDL would give its confidence to the cabinet “if none of its members is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Head of the People's Movement Zouhair Maghzaoui called for a political accord on granting confidence to the government under the condition that the PM-designate presents a clear vision on resolving Tunisia’s economic, social, and financial problems, and amends the electoral law within 18 months.

A parliamentary session dedicated to granting a vote of confidence to the cabinet is scheduled for early next month. The government lineup includes 28 qualified and independent figures.



More than 43,000 Palestinians Killed in Yearlong War in Gaza, Palestinian Health Ministry Says

 Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate the northern part of Gaza take a rest as they flee amid an Israeli military operation, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Hassan Al-Zaanin/File Photo
Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate the northern part of Gaza take a rest as they flee amid an Israeli military operation, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Hassan Al-Zaanin/File Photo
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More than 43,000 Palestinians Killed in Yearlong War in Gaza, Palestinian Health Ministry Says

 Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate the northern part of Gaza take a rest as they flee amid an Israeli military operation, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Hassan Al-Zaanin/File Photo
Displaced Palestinians ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate the northern part of Gaza take a rest as they flee amid an Israeli military operation, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip October 23, 2024. REUTERS/Hassan Al-Zaanin/File Photo

The number of Palestinians killed in the yearlong war in Gaza has passed 43,000, more than half of them women and children, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday.

The tally includes 96 dead who arrived at hospitals in Gaza over the past two days, the ministry said.

Israeli troops have launched an ongoing operation in northern Gaza that included a raid on a hospital over the weekend. The military said it detained 100 suspected Hamas militants in a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya on Friday.

The World Health Organization accused Israel of detaining 44 male hospital staff. Palestinian medical officials said the hospital, which was treating some 200 patients, was heavily damaged in the raid, Reuters reported.

Israel has raided several hospitals in Gaza over the course of the yearlong war, saying Hamas and other militants use them for military purposes. Palestinian medical officials deny those allegations and accuse the military of recklessly endangering civilians.

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations, said there was heavy fighting around Kamal Adwan Hospital, though not inside it, and that weapons were found inside the facility.

The official said medical staff were detained and searched because some of the militants had disguised themselves as medics.

According to the official, the military had helped international organizations relocate 88 patients and medical staff to other hospitals in the weeks leading up to the raid, and that during the raid itself, troops had brought 30,000 liters of fuel and medical supplies from international organizations to help keep the facility running.

The Israeli military has called on Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where it has been waging a large offensive for more than three weeks. The official said the operation in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya would last “several more weeks.”

The UN said earlier this month at least 400,000 people are still in northern Gaza and hunger is rampant as the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the north has plummeted over the past month.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 43,020 people have been killed and 101,110 others wounded since the war started on Oct. 7, 2023.