The Italian cabinet on June 20 blocked the sending of Italian patrol boats to Tunisia. This move resulted from the body upholding a petition filed by a group of NGOs, whose request had previously been rejected by a regional administrative court (TAR).

The latter court had deemed an agreement to send six patrol boats to Tunis legitimate, alongside a financial commitment of 4.8 million euros to repair and transfer the boats, and in line with decisions taken at the EU level, including the designation of Tunisia as a safe country.

The Italian cabinet, however, upheld the NGOs' request, overturning the court's decision.

Also read: Italy's Meloni talks migration in Tunisia

Criticism from FdI and praise from NGOs

The decision was criticized by the FdI party and called "dangerous" by immigration chief Sara Kelany.

"Blocking the government's action in this way betrays an ideological vision by people who are instead supposed to ensure objectivity and independence," said FdI party chief within the Chamber of Representatives Tommaso Foti.

FdI deputy chairman Marco Scurria commented on the move, saying that it showed "a lack of respect for the government action to ensure that Tunisia has an adequate supply of naval vehicles to neutralize the forays of smugglers, which represents a duty for Italy that the cabinet is hindering."

NGOs instead praised the move. "Supplying patrol boats to the Tunisian authorities means increasing the risk that migrants will be subjected to illegal deportation," was one comment.

Also read: Italian government closes ranks on migrants, bolsters patrol boats to Tunisia

Warnings on World Refugee Day, 8 children's corpses in Ionian

The Italian cabinet's decision came on World Refugee Day, on which both Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis launched warnings about the importance of protecting refugees.

Protecting refugees is an "international obligation and moral duty", the head of state said.

Pope Francis wrote on the X platform: "The faces and the eyes of #Refugees beg us to not look the other way, to not deny our common humanity, but to make their stories our stories and to not forget their plight."

In the Ionian Sea, at the site of a recent shipwreck about a hundred miles from the Calabrian coast, the corpses of eight children and six adults were found on June 20. The total number of confirmed deaths thus far is 20, but about 60 people are still missing, including 26 children.

Migrants continue to arrive in Italy, with 80 arriving on the island of Lampedusa on June 20 alone. Meanwhile, the government is preparing to buy another 100,000 single-use bracelets for migrant management after purchasing 450,000 others in February.

Also read: Calabria shipwreck survivor Nalina in hospital, asks for parents