Libyan House of Representatives Urges End to Widespread Arms Chaos

A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
TT
20

Libyan House of Representatives Urges End to Widespread Arms Chaos

A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)

The Libyan House of Representatives is urging an end to the widespread presence of weapons across the country following recent clashes in Al-Jumail city, near Tripoli. They’ve called for the immediate removal of all armed groups from the city, except for the regular police and army.

The situation worsened after clashes between armed groups from outside Al-Jumail, leaving at least one dead and nine injured.

The House emphasized the need to stop unauthorized armed presence in all Libyan cities, condemning attacks on citizens and state institutions in Al-Jumail.

In the meantime, Libya’s Government of National Unity reported that its leader, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, held separate meetings with the ambassadors of Iran and South Korea to Libya.

They discussed cooperation opportunities with their respective countries.

According to Dbeibeh’s office on Thursday evening, the Iranian ambassador expressed Iran’s interest in hosting the 13th session of the Iran-Libya Joint High Committee in Tehran.

They also talked about organizing an exhibition and economic forum for Iranian industries in Libya, as well as cooperation in nuclear medicine and other medical fields.

Dbeibeh expressed willingness to work together with Iran in various areas and to organize the joint committee meeting between the two countries.

As for his meeting in Tripoli with South Korea’s Ambassador, his assistant, and the economic advisor, Dbeibeh discussed the comeback of Korean companies to finish ongoing projects and start new ones across Libya’s cities and regions.

Dbeibeh and the South Korean officials praised Hyundai’s return to Libya, restarting work on a power station project near Tripoli after a 10-year pause. This move was seen as a positive sign of big companies returning to Libya, aiding its development needs.

Dbeibeh emphasized the need to tackle challenges facing Korean companies in all sectors and suggested organizing an economic and industrial forum for them in Libya to foster partnerships between both countries’ private sectors.



Wilful Restriction on Food Aid in Gaza May Constitute War Crime, Says UN Rights Office

A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
TT
20

Wilful Restriction on Food Aid in Gaza May Constitute War Crime, Says UN Rights Office

A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that the wilful impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. 

"For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'," the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. 

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. 

The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution center in Rafah. On June 1, some 32 people were killed and on Monday three people were killed, according to the OHCHR. 

The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into attacks on Palestinians trying to receive food aid. 

"Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," Turk said in a statement. 

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. 

The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. 

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".