UN Welcomes Formation of Committees to Address Libya’s Security Concerns

Men gather in Tripoli's Martyrs Square on June 5, 2025 on the second day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of sacrifice. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Men gather in Tripoli's Martyrs Square on June 5, 2025 on the second day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of sacrifice. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
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UN Welcomes Formation of Committees to Address Libya’s Security Concerns

Men gather in Tripoli's Martyrs Square on June 5, 2025 on the second day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of sacrifice. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Men gather in Tripoli's Martyrs Square on June 5, 2025 on the second day of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of sacrifice. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has welcomed the establishment by the Presidency Council of two committees to address security and rights concerns.

“UNSMIL welcomes the establishment by the Presidency Council of two committees, composed of key parties, to address security and human rights concerns,” it said in a statement on Saturday.

“These efforts are aimed at strengthening security arrangements to prevent the outbreak of fighting and ensure the protection of civilians, as well as addressing human rights concerns in detention facilities, including widespread arbitrary detention,” it said.

“The Mission is committed to providing technical support to the committees, in line with international standards and its mandate,” the statement added.

UNSMIL stressed that the committees come at a “crucial moment when Libyans are demanding meaningful reform, accountable and democratic state institutions.”



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.