G7 Urges Tunisian President to Return to Constitutional Order

Tunisian President Kais Saied (File photo: Reuters)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (File photo: Reuters)
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G7 Urges Tunisian President to Return to Constitutional Order

Tunisian President Kais Saied (File photo: Reuters)
Tunisian President Kais Saied (File photo: Reuters)

The ambassadors of the G7 group of advanced economies urged Tunisia's President on Monday to appoint a new head of government as a matter of urgency and return to a constitutional order in which an elected parliament plays a significant role.

The statement, put out by the British Embassy on social media, is the most significant public expression of unease by major democracies since President Kais Saied seized governing powers in July in moves his opponents called a coup.

"We underline the urgent need to appoint a new head of government to form a capable government able to address the immediate economic and health crises facing Tunisia," the statement said.

The G7 statement added that appointing a prime minister would "create space for an inclusive dialogue about proposed constitutional and electoral reforms,” saying democratic values would remain central to their relations with Tunisia.

Several Tunisian parties renewed their demand to Saied to end the exceptional measures and return to the democratic path by forming a legitimate government that addresses Tunisians' priorities. They also called for launching dialogue to reform the political system and the electoral law.

The Ennahda Movement, which its opponents accuse of the failure of the political and economic paths, called for ending the exceptional measures.

Members of the movement's Executive Office, headed by Rached Ghannouchi, condemned "actual and symbolic attacks" on state institutions and constitutional bodies, including undermining the judiciary, attacking the National Anti-Corruption Authority and increasing campaigns of incitement and threats in the media and on social media networks.

The movement also denounced the attacks on Tunisians' rights, freedoms, and dignity based on illegal and unconstitutional instructions, including referring civilians to military courts and banning many parliamentarians, businessmen, and officials from leaving the country.

Meanwhile, the People's Movement spokesman, Mohsen Nabti, called on the President to present a "clear and comprehensive vision" based on the people's demands.

Nabti said that the exceptional measures approved by Saied partially respond to the demands of the public, who are now demanding the completion of the political reform path.

The spokesman stressed the necessity of forming a transitional government, adopting sovereign economic measures, changing the political system, revising the electoral law, and holding a referendum to support the reform led by Saied.

Ennahda member Abdellatif Mekki stressed that rejecting foreign interference is true and one of the bases of maintaining national sovereignty. However, it is not credible unless it is met with solutions for the outstanding problems.

Mekki was commenting on the visit of US delegations to Tunisia, which met with the President and other officials in the country.



Hamas Says Israeli Troops Sticking Point in Truce Talks as Gaza Pounded

Palestinians sit in front of their makeshift home in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Palestinians sit in front of their makeshift home in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Hamas Says Israeli Troops Sticking Point in Truce Talks as Gaza Pounded

Palestinians sit in front of their makeshift home in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Palestinians sit in front of their makeshift home in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Hamas on Thursday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, after offering to release some hostages and as the civil defense reported scores of civilians killed across the Palestinian territory.

The group said late Wednesday that it had agreed to release 10 people seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.

Both sides have been holding indirect talks in Qatar to agree a temporary halt in the conflict and the United States says it is hopeful of a 60-day truce in the coming days.

But Hamas said in its announcement of the partial hostage release that disagreements over the free flow of aid into Gaza and Israel's military withdrawal were sticking points in the discussions.

It also wants "real guarantees" for a lasting peace.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim on Thursday said the group was committed to the talks to end the war "as soon as possible".

But he told AFP: "We cannot accept the perpetuation of the occupation of our land and the surrender of our people to isolated enclaves under the control of the occupation army (Israel).

"This is what the negotiating delegation is presenting to the occupation so far in the current round of negotiations in Doha."

Hamas was particularly opposed to Israeli control over Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Morag Corridor between the southern city and Khan Yunis, he added.

Israel announced earlier this year that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants, as a way of pressuring Hamas to release hostages.

Naim also said the group wanted an end to the current delivery of aid by a US- and Israel-backed group, a system which has seen scores killed while seeking handouts.

Unanswered questions

Hamas has given no timeline for the release of hostages or indications about the return of the bodies of nine detainees that Israel says have died in captivity.

Its announcement came as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up a visit this week to the United States that focused heavily on the ceasefire talks.

Netanyahu, under pressure at home to end the war as military casualties increase, was initially uncompromising in his bid to crush Hamas and neutralize it as a security threat to Israel.

But after two high-profile meetings with Donald Trump, he indicated that a temporary truce deal could be on the horizon, echoing the US president's own optimism that a deal can be struck soon.

On the ground in Gaza, there was no let-up in civilian casualties on Thursday, with the civil defense agency reporting 52 killed in Israeli strikes and shooting across the embattled territory.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details due to media restrictions in Gaza.

But agency official Mohammed al-Mughair said in the deadliest strike, eight children were among 17 killed when Israeli aircraft targeted "a gathering of civilians in front of a medical point" in Deir el-Balah.

Separate strikes and shooting were reported elsewhere across Gaza, with people displaced by the 21-month conflict among the casualties as well as three people near an aid center, he added.

The deaths cap another bloody week in Gaza, after the authorities reported at least 29 were killed on Wednesday, 26 on Tuesday and 12 on Monday.

Overall, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 57,680 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the conflict.

Hamas's attacks on border communities in Israel that sparked the war led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

A total of 251 hostages were seized in the attack. Forty-nine are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.