
Egypt flies home 71 nationals from Libya after unrest
Friday's special flight by flag carrier EgyptAir 'enabled the repatriation of 71 Egyptian citizens who had expressed a desire to come home,' the ministry said.
From May 12 to 15, the Libyan capital was rocked by fighting between an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government and factions it has sought to dismantle.
The clashes, which saw artillery exchanges in the city center, killed at least eight people, according to the United Nations.
Although relative calm has since returned to the city, the situation remains highly volatile as calls grow for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
Turkey evacuated 82 of its nationals from Tripoli on a similar repatriation flight last week.
Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east.
The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Gadhafi.

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Leaders
3 hours ago
- Leaders
Israel Authorizes Controversial Settlement Project that Would Split West Bank
Israel has given final approval on a controversial settlement project that will divide the occupied West Bank in two, Reuters reported. Undermining Palestinian Statehood On Wednesday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said that the settlement plan, known as the E1 project, will obstruct efforts to establish an independent Palestinian State. 'With E1 we are delivering finally on what has been promised for years. The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea,' he said in a statement. Smotrich announced the plan last week as a response to the recent wave of countries announcing their intention to recognize a Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly in September. The recognition of Palestinian Statehood is part of an international push to advance the two-state solution, which envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side with Israel. E1 Settlement Project Plans for settlement in E1, an area east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades but was frozen amid US and European opposition that the project could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians. The E1 project involves the construction of about 3,400 new housing units in Maale Adumin. Israel has built about 160 settlements, housing some 700,000 Jews, since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, according to BBC. Settlement Expansion The international law deems settlements illegal. However, successive Israeli governments have allowed settlements to expand, most notably since the return of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to power in late 2022. Netanyahu has not commented on the E1 approval announcement. But during a visit to a West Bank settlement on Sunday, he said: 'I said 25 years ago that we will do everything to secure our grip on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered.' International Condemnation In response to the announcement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the plan as it will 'isolate Palestinian communities living in the area and undermines the possibility of a two-state solution.' Similarly, a spokesperson for the German government on Wednesday said that the E1 plan violates international law and 'hinders a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.' The E1 settlement project also faced strong opposition from Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as it will further undermine the two-state solution. Short link : Post Views: 8


Leaders
5 hours ago
- Leaders
Most Americans Support Palestinian State Recognition: Poll
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found that a majority of Americans back the international recognition of a Palestinian State. According to the poll, 58% of Americans believe that every UN member state should recognize Palestine as a country, while only 33% disagree. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted over 6 days, weeks after several countries, including France, the UK and Canada, declared they would recognize the State of Palestine in September. It also took place as Hamas accepted a new Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, while Israel was considering the Palestinian movement's response. The proposed deal includes a 60-day truce during which a number of Palestinian prisoners will be freed in return for half of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages. Gaza is enduring a widespread starvation, amid warnings that Palestinians in the enclave are on the brink of famine. This has led several European nations, as well as Britain, Canada and Australia, to say that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached 'unimaginable levels.' In the light of this, most of the respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos poll see that the US should take action to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. 65% of Americans say that the US should help people who are facing starvation in Gaza, with only 28% disagreeing. Meanwhile, 59% of Americans believe that Israel's military response in Gaza has been excessive. The war in Gaza has so far claimed the lives of over 62,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Furthermore, malnutrition-related deaths have reached 296 Palestinians, including 112 children. Israel is pressing ahead with a plan to expand its military campaign in Gaza, including the full takeover of Gaza City and displacing its people to the south of the enclave. Short link : Post Views: 7


Saudi Gazette
12 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of planned Gaza City offensive
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it is calling up about 60,000 reservists ahead of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City. A military official said the reservists would report for duty in September and that most of the troops mobilised for the offensive would be active-duty personnel. They added that troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas as part of the preparations for the plan, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and will be put to the security cabinet later this week. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to shelters in southern Gaza. Many of Israel's allies have condemned the plan, while the UN and non-governmental organisations have warned that another offensive and further mass displacement will have a "horrific humanitarian impact" after 22 months of war. Israel's government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month. Regional mediators are trying to secure an agreement before the offensive begins and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday. Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials insisted on Tuesday that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. Only 20 of the hostages are believed to be alive. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that orders calling up 60,000 reservists were issued on Wednesday as part of the preparations for "the next phase of Operation Gideon's Chariots" - the offensive that it launched in May. In addition, 20,000 reservists who had already been called up would receive a notice extending their current orders, it added. The Israeli military official said senior commanders had approved the plan for a "gradual" and "precise" operation in and around Gaza City, and that the chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, was expected to finalise them in the coming days. Five divisions are expected to take part in the offensive, according to the official. The Haaretz newspaper quoted Defence Minister Katz as saying on Tuesday: "Once the operation is completed, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look as it did in the past." He also reportedly approved a plan to "accommodate" Gaza City residents in the south of the territory, including the coastal al-Mawasi area, where the military has begun establishing additional food distribution points and field hospitals. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the military's objectives are to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and "complete the defeat" of the Palestinian armed group. The IDF also announced on Wednesday that the Givati Brigade had resumed operations in the northern town of Jabalia and on the outskirts of Gaza City, where it said they were "are dismantling military infrastructures above and below ground, eliminating terrorists, and consolidating operational control". It said civilians were being told to move south for their safety "to mitigate the risk of harm". A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP news agency on Tuesday that the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the city's Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, where he said "shelling continues intermittently". The agency said Israeli strikes and fire had killed 21 people across Gaza on Wednesday. Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three children and their parents were killed when a house in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was bombed. UN agencies and NGOs have warned of the humanitarian impact of a new offensive. "The Israeli plan to intensify military operations in Gaza City will have a horrific humanitarian impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of basics needed for survival," they said in a joint statement on Monday. "Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer." They also said the areas of the south where displaced residents were expected to move were "overcrowded and ill-equipped to sustain human survival at scale". "Southern hospitals are operating at several times their capacity, and taking on patients from the north would have life-threatening consequences." The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" due to food shortages. - BBC