Tunisian Party Calls on President, Political Leaders to Step Down

Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
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Tunisian Party Calls on President, Political Leaders to Step Down

Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)
Tunisian President Kais Saied. (AP)

Tunisia’s Al Chaab Yourid party, led by Najd al-Khalfaoui, called on President Kais Saied and various political leaders to resign and admit their failure to find a solution for the political impasse in the country.

In a statement, the party called on General Mohamed Salah al-Hamdi, who resigned from his position as presidential national security adviser, to run for the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2024.

However, the party criticized Hamdi’s neutral position in face of the imminent danger threatening the state.

It also condemned a number of retired military figures harboring political aspirations, who had submitted a message to the president, entitled “The Last Hope to Save the Country.”

The letter sparked widespread political debate about the possible involvement of the military in politics, after years of impartiality.

Khalfaoui said Tunisians “have observed the political rivalries within the illegitimate parliament after a report on the legislative and presidential elections revealed fundamental violations that affect the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.”

He called on all political parties, including the president, to allow the people to decide their future through early legislative and presidential elections, adding, however, that the electoral law must also be amended.

The party reminded the president of his pledge to the youth during his electoral campaign, “to return to its rightful owners” in the event of his failure to achieve their will and demands.

Al Chaab Yourid party was officially established last March and was accused of being close to the president because it has adopted a slogan similar to his campaign slogan.

However, Khalfaoui asserted that some presidential advisors were part of the party's founding council before their withdrawal, which means they have ended their affiliation with the presidency.



At Least 27 Palestinians Killed Near Gaza Aid Site, Medics Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
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At Least 27 Palestinians Killed Near Gaza Aid Site, Medics Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed REFILE

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. 

The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution center in Rafah. 

It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas that has laid waste to much of the enclave. 

Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. 

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. 

More than 35 patients required immediate intervention, the spokesperson added. 

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. 

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. 

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".  

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.  

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. 

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.  

On Tuesday, it said its forces had identified "a number of suspects" moving towards them while deviating from the access routes.  

"The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," it said. 

MASS EVACUATIONS ORDERED 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday he was "appalled" by reports of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid and called for an independent investigation. 

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late on Monday, warning that the army would act forcefully against fighters operating in those areas. 

The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. 

The territory's health ministry said on Tuesday that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. 

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. 

In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say.