Sarraj Criticizes Haftar’s South Libya Operation

FILE PHOTO: Fayez al-Sarraj leaves after an international conference on Libya at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Fayez al-Sarraj leaves after an international conference on Libya at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo
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Sarraj Criticizes Haftar’s South Libya Operation

FILE PHOTO: Fayez al-Sarraj leaves after an international conference on Libya at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Fayez al-Sarraj leaves after an international conference on Libya at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo

Head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj reaffirmed that the presidential and parliamentary elections are the sole solution to move to a stable phase, stressing that he will not allow the south to become theater for settling political disputes.

There will be no military solution to the current crisis, asserted Saraj, criticizing the operation of the Libyan National Army, which is led by Khalifa Haftar, in the south.

His statement was made as the United Nations and its aid partners, together with the interim Government of Libya, launched on Tuesday a humanitarian response plan (HRP), appealing for USD202 million to bring urgent life-saving assistance to some 552,000 women, children and men affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The UN Humanitarian, Resident Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro launched the plan at an event in Tripoli, alongside Sarraj and UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame.

Sarraj said that this plan will allow access to great populations in various Libyan regions, and will provide them with basic services and needs.

In the statement issued by his office, he demanded that the responsive plan focuses highly on the southern region. Sarraj considered that the south has suffered a lot and its current condition requires joint efforts to end its hardship.

Further, Salame stressed the necessity of economic reforms adopted by Sarraj, which have driven remarkable progress in living conditions. He called for continuing the reforms program in which both the public and private sectors exploit the potentials to revive the economy.

Moreover, the Western Military Zone of the Presidential Council said that the hostile acts that took place in the past days in the area of Ghadwa and Murzuk clearly show an aim to impose a fait accompli and defeat any political solutions.



Israeli Gunfire Kills 17 People near Gaza Aid Site

Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Israeli Gunfire Kills 17 People near Gaza Aid Site

Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central Gaza on Tuesday, local health authorities said.

Medics said the casualties were rushed to two hospitals, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Quds in Gaza City, in the north, Reuters reported.

The Israeli military said they are looking into the incident. Last week it warned Palestinians not to approach routes leading to GHF sites between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, describing these roads as closed military zones.

There was no immediate GHF comment on Tuesday's incident.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral.

However, many Gazans say they have to walk for hours to reach the sites, meaning they have to start travelling well before dawn if they are to stand any chance of receiving food.

While the GHF has said there have been no incidents at its so-called secure distribution sites, Palestinians seeking aid have described disorder and access routes to the sites have been beset by chaos and deadly violence.

"I went there at 2 a.m. hoping to get some food, on my way there, I saw people returning empty-handed, they said aid packages have run out in five minutes, this is insane and isn't enough," said Mohammad Abu Amr, 40, a father of two.

"Dozens of thousands arrive from the central areas and from the northern areas too, some of them walked for over 20 km (12 miles), only to come back home with disappointment," he told Reuters via a chat app. He said he heard the firing but didn't see what happened.

Israel allowed limited UN-led operations to resume on May 19 after an 11-week blockade in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where experts have warned a famine looms. The UN has described the aid allowed into Gaza as "drop in the ocean."

Witnesses said at least 40 trucks carrying flour for UN warehouses were looted by desperate displaced Palestinians as well as thieves near Nabulsi roundabout along the coastal road in Gaza City.