Cairo Brings Views of Libyan Parties Closer

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
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Cairo Brings Views of Libyan Parties Closer

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool

Egypt has sought to bring the views of Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh and Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar closer through a meeting held in Cairo Wednesday.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Saleh and Haftar.

“During the talks, Sisi was briefed on developments in Libya and the efforts of all parties to implement a ceasefire on the one hand, and on the Libyan efforts to promote the peace process under the auspices of the United Nations on the other,” Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

Saleh has not commented on a “surprise agreement” struck between Haftar and Ahmed Maiteeq, the vice-president of the Libyan Presidential Council, on the resumption of oil production after a nine-month hiatus.

Although Haftar didn’t express support to the initiative launched by Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis, he reiterated keenness on adhering to the legitimacy of the house of representatives.

In a statement, he described Wednesday’s meeting as important, noting that it discussed political developments in Libya.

Egypt is committed to helping Libyans “rid their country of armed militias and terrorist organizations, and put an end to the blatant interference of some regional parties,” Radi said.

Sisi urged all parties to the Libyan conflict to return to the political process with the aim of restoring peace, security, and stability.

Head of the Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj stated that he met on Wednesday the leader of the High Council of State, Khaled al-Mishri.

They affirmed the importance of committing to a ceasefire and halting all fighting on Libyan territories.

In a related context, the LNA called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to assume responsibility towards the secret detention centers ran by militias backing the GNA.

The LNA noted that these camps are located near UNSMIL’s headquarters.

LNA’s Brigadier General Khalid Al-Mahjoub said that the residents of Tripoli have fallen victim to the worst forms of torture committed by the militias and extremist organizations that control large swaths of the capital.



Israel’s Military Operation in Gaza Expanding to Seize ‘Large Areas,’ Defense Minister Says

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
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Israel’s Military Operation in Gaza Expanding to Seize ‘Large Areas,’ Defense Minister Says

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)

Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas,” the defense minister said Wednesday. 

Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory was “expanding to crush and clean the area” of gunmen and “seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones of the State of Israel,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a written statement. 

The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded since the war began in 2023. Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people. 

Katz didn't specify which areas of Gaza would be seized in the expanded operation, which he said includes the “extensive evacuation” of the population from fighting areas. His statement came after Israel ordered the full evacuation of the southern city of Rafah and nearby areas. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel aims to maintain an open-ended but unspecified security control of the Gaza Strip once it achieves its aim of crushing Hamas. 

The minister called on Gaza residents to “expel Hamas and return all hostages.” The group still holds 59 captives, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. 

“This is the only way to end the war,” Katz said. 

The Hostage Families Forum, which represents most captives’ families, said that it was “horrified to wake up this morning to the Defense Minister's announcement about expanding military operations in Gaza.” 

The group said the Israeli government “has an obligation to free all 59 hostages from Hamas captivity — to pursue every possible channel to advance a deal for their release,” and stressed that every passing day puts their loved ones' lives at greater risk. 

“Our highest priority must be an immediate deal to bring ALL hostages back home — the living for rehabilitation and those killed for proper burial — and end this war,” the group said. 

Israel continued to target the Gaza Strip, with airstrikes overnight killing 17 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, hospital officials said. 

Officials at the Nasser Hospital said the bodies of 12 people killed in an overnight airstrike that were brought to the hospital included five women, one of them pregnant, and two children. Officials at the Gaza European Hospital said they received five bodies of people killed in two separate airstrikes. 

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. 

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since a ceasefire ended about two weeks ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.