Mideast Starbucks franchisee is firing staff after being targeted in Israel-Hamas war boycott

The Middle East franchisee of Starbucks has begun firing staff at its coffee shops across the region after the brand found itself targeted by activists during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Kuwait-based Alshaya Group issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging the firings. It is a private family firm holding franchise rights for a variety of Western companies including The Cheesecake Factory, H&M and Shake Shack. Alshaya declined to answer questions about how many employees it was firing. It runs about 1,900 Starbucks branches and had employed over 19,000 staff.