Global Zionist movement want to change Middle East map: Tunisian president

Tunisian President Kais Saied said Friday that "the global Zionist movement aims to change the map of the Middle East," according to the presidency.

"The fleets heading to the Eastern Mediterranean and the unprecedented military buildup indicate that the matter is not related to stolen Palestine alone, but rather a new division or a second half for a new Balfour," he said in a meeting with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar.

"All the peoples of the world today want to change the course of history after the unveiling of a global system whose creators still yearn to divide the world between civilized peoples and others who are barbaric or brutal," he said.

Saied reaffirmed "the Tunisian people's firm position on the Palestinian right to restore all of Palestine and establish its independent state with Jerusalem as its capital."

Saied instructed Ammar to "intensify diplomatic work with all national forces at home and with all free people in the world to stop these massacres."

He also stressed the need to "confront all attempts at displacement so that Palestine and the entire nation do not experience a new catastrophe similar to that of 1948."

The conflict began Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza, under heavy bombardment and blockade, is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out.