Tunisia: No Return to Full Lockdown

Tunisia will not return to a full lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Tunisia will not return to a full lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
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Tunisia: No Return to Full Lockdown

Tunisia will not return to a full lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Tunisia will not return to a full lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said the country will not return to a full lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

He stressed, however, that the current situation requires everyone to strictly respect preventive measures imposed by the Health Ministry.

This include wearing masks, using disinfectants and respecting social distancing rules, he said in remarks on the sidelines of the opening of the Annual Conference of Heads of Permanent Diplomatic and Consular Missions.

Member of the Scientific Committee on Coronavirus Control Habib Ghedira had previously warned that Tunisia may face a catastrophic situation over the pandemic, adding that infections can be avoided once health precautions are respected.

A complete lockdown is no longer the solution to confront the outbreak, he stressed. The solution lies in wearing a mask, respecting social distancing rules and washing hands regularly.

Tunisia has confirmed 10,732 infections, 2,386 recoveries and 159 deaths.



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.