Türkiye’s Erdogan, Dbeibah Discuss Elections in Libya

Erdogan and Dbeibah meet in Istanbul. (Turkish presidency)
Erdogan and Dbeibah meet in Istanbul. (Turkish presidency)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan, Dbeibah Discuss Elections in Libya

Erdogan and Dbeibah meet in Istanbul. (Turkish presidency)
Erdogan and Dbeibah meet in Istanbul. (Turkish presidency)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in Istanbul on Friday with head Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah on the latest developments in the North African country.

The officials discussed bilateral relations between their countries and the upcoming elections in Libya.

They tackled cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli, especially in the field of energy, according to sources in the Turkish presidency.

Dbeibah’s visited Istanbul days after head of the High National Electoral Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, traveled to Ankara where he said that the elections were “an important and crucial for the political future of Libya.”

He met with members of Türkiye’s Supreme Election Council and its president, Ahmed Yener.

He inspected equipment used in election management and listened to presentations explaining the institutional structure of the Council, its legislations, and the systems and technical procedures by which the electoral process was managed during the Turkish legislative and presidential elections in May.

Meanwhile, reports said that the Turkish parliament is planning on studying a number of agreements it failed to approve during the previous legislative year.

They include a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Ankara and Tripoli in October 2022 that covers energy exploration.

Reports confirmed that Erdogan had sent the MoU to parliament for approval in June shortly after the Turkish elections.

The parliament was in recess until October.

The MoU is an extension of the security agreement signed in November 2019 which demarcated Türkiye and Libya’s shared maritime borders.

It aims to promote cooperation between oil and gas companies to exploit energy resources in Libya, and to work on the exploration and development of oil and gas fields within Libyan territory.

The MoU was rejected by several Mediterranean countries, namely Greece and Egypt, who deemed the deal illegal given that it was signed after the GNU’s term had ended.

During its efforts to improve relations with Egypt, Türkiye sought to reassure it over the presence of pro-Ankara mercenaries in western Libya and cooperation with the Tripoli-based government over energy.

Türkiye is working to ease tensions with Greece. Last week, both sides resumed political consultations after a long hiatus to solve contentious issues in the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean.



UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.