Tunisian tennis star, Ons Jabeur, called on the world to “talk more” about the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, describing the impact of the conflict as “unjust.”
The best Arab player in the history of tennis said that she had actually stopped following the war on social media.
The 29-year-old added on Friday: “I feel very sad when I watch the news every day, and frankly I avoid being on social media, because what is happening in Gaza now is terrifying.”
Jaber’s speech came in a press conference after she reached the round of 16 in the Roland Garros tournament, the second major tournament in tennis.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist continued: “I hope the year speaks more, because what is happening is unfair. These children, women, men, are suffering. We are in 2024, and it is very sad to see many countries remaining silent about what is happening.” Gets”.
Jaber had become a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme, “to participate in various initiatives, including an initiative focused on the emergency in Gaza,” according to what the organization said at the time.
The war began in the Gaza Strip with Hamas launching an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, killing 1,189 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on the latest official Israeli data.
During the attack, 252 hostages were taken and transferred to Gaza. After a truce in November allowed the release of about 100 of them, 121 hostages are still being held in the Strip, including 37 who died, according to the army.
Israel responded by vowing to “eliminate” Hamas, and since then it has launched a bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip accompanied by ground operations, causing 36,284 deaths, most of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip.
Israel says its military operations in the Gaza Strip are “necessary” to achieve its goal of “eliminating Hamas.”