Egypt Prepares Aircraft Carrier to Serve as Field Hospital in Libya

Food aid that was dispatched to help those affected by Storm Daniel in Libya. (AFP)
Food aid that was dispatched to help those affected by Storm Daniel in Libya. (AFP)
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Egypt Prepares Aircraft Carrier to Serve as Field Hospital in Libya

Food aid that was dispatched to help those affected by Storm Daniel in Libya. (AFP)
Food aid that was dispatched to help those affected by Storm Daniel in Libya. (AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered on Wednesday the preparation of a Mistral aircraft carrier to serve as a field hospital for the victims of Storm Daniel that struck Libya.

The president instructed the establishment of shelter camps in the Western Military Region for Libyans who lost their homes, according to the Egyptian presidency post on X.

State television quoted presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy as saying that Sisi directed the forces and members heading to Libya to make every effort to mitigate the effects of the humanitarian disaster.

Furthermore, the European Union has released an initial €500,000 ($536,545) in humanitarian funding to tackle the most urgent needs of people in Libya affected by the impact of Storm Daniel.

Immediately, EU Member States – so far Germany, Romania, and Finland - have offered substantial assistance in the form of shelter items such as tents, field beds and blankets, 80 generators, food items, as well as hospital tents and water tanks.

Funding will be channeled through partners operating on the ground to deliver lifesaving health and water and sanitation supplies for the flood response in Libya.

The Permanent Mission of the State of Libya to the UN office in Geneva requested on Tuesday assistance from the EU following the floods that killed more than 5,000.

In the same context, the first two planes of the Qatari air bridge arrived at Benina International Airport in Benghazi. The two planes are carrying 67 tons of relief aid as an emergency response to the humanitarian situation in areas affected by floods and torrents.

The aid included medical and food supplies, in addition to a field hospital.

Algeria also dispatched humanitarian aid to Libya including medical supplies, tents and food. The Algerian team included divers and rescue operators.

Furthermore, Jordan dispatched a humanitarian aid plane to Libya.

Hussein Al-Shibli, Secretary-General of Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, stated that this was done in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Jordanian Armed Forces.

The Organization added that the first plane carries emergency relief materials consisting of tents, blankets, mattresses, and food parcels.

For his part, Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq issued directives to send urgent humanitarian aid to Libya.



Palestinian Central Council Demands that Hamas Cede Control of Gaza

Officials are seen at the meeting in Ramallah. (EPA)
Officials are seen at the meeting in Ramallah. (EPA)
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Palestinian Central Council Demands that Hamas Cede Control of Gaza

Officials are seen at the meeting in Ramallah. (EPA)
Officials are seen at the meeting in Ramallah. (EPA)

The Palestinian Central Committee called on Hamas on Friday to cede control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority.

The council held its 32nd meeting in Ramallah that created the position of vice president in a first since 1964.

In a closing statement, the council stressed that decisions of war and peace and negotiations cannot be held by a faction or party, but these affairs are national concerns, reported the Palestinian official news agency (WAFA).

Moreover, it said that “peaceful popular resistance is the only way to achieve national goals.”

It underlined the need to unify Palestinian territories and their political, administrative and judicial systems.

Priority now, however, lies in “ending the Israeli aggression and genocide against our people in Gaza... and in rejecting the displacement of the Palestinians and attempt to annex their territories,” it added.

“Our people are committed to just and permanent peace based on the relevant international resolutions,” continued the council.

It tasked the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to follow up on every regional and international effort to that end.

It also tasked the committee with launching a national dialogue that would reach national consensus that would establish the PLO as the sole legal representative of the Palestinian people.

The dialogue must prioritize a political solution that calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The council also stressed the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homeland from where they were forcibly displaced in 1948, which is in line with United Nations General Assembly resolution 194.

For its part, Hamas slammed the council decision to establish the position of vice president, saying it only deepens the Palestinian division and promotes unilateral decision-making.

It described the council meeting as “disappointing” and that it “had not met its aspirations to achieve real unity that is needed to confront the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Israeli escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”

Hamas noted that main factions boycotted the meeting in rejection of attempts to monopolize decisions and the “coup against the spirit of national partnership.”

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine boycotted the meeting.

Hamas called for the “rebuilding” of the PLO and holding comprehensive elections, saying they were the “only means to restore unity.”