LNA Agrees to Deploy International Monitors to Support Ceasefire Agreement

Libyan National Army forces during the celebrations marking the Independence Day in December 2020 in Benghazi city | Photo: Reuters
Libyan National Army forces during the celebrations marking the Independence Day in December 2020 in Benghazi city | Photo: Reuters
TT
20

LNA Agrees to Deploy International Monitors to Support Ceasefire Agreement

Libyan National Army forces during the celebrations marking the Independence Day in December 2020 in Benghazi city | Photo: Reuters
Libyan National Army forces during the celebrations marking the Independence Day in December 2020 in Benghazi city | Photo: Reuters

The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has demanded that the monitoring of a previously-reached ceasefire be limited to “observers” to be agreed upon.

It also ruled out the possibility of the participation of “international forces” in monitoring this truce.

Director of LNA’s Moral Guidance Department Brigadier General Khaled al-Mahjoub said on Friday that the face-to-face direct talks between the two Libyan delegations to the 5+5 Joint Military Commission stipulate the presence of observers from countries agreed upon by the two parties with specific qualifications.

Mahjoub denied LNA’s objection to the deployment of “international observers” to monitor the ceasefire.

He pointed out that Turkey will only confront LNA forces in case of war because the situation in Libya is linked to European and regional security, stressing that the army will not remain silent in the face of Ankara’s occupation of western Libya.

Last week, UN Chief Antonio Guterres proposed international monitors to support Libya's fragile ceasefire.

In a letter to Security Council members, Guterres asked to set up a monitoring group that would include civilians and retired soldiers from regional groups such as the African Union, European Union, and Arab League.

Haftar has reached the ceasefire agreement with the Government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj on October 23 in Geneva.

Meanwhile, 36 members representing nearly half of the members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum have urged the United Nations and its Security Council to “prevent all forms of foreign military presence and expel mercenaries and foreign bases that violate the political agreement, the Constitutional Declaration, and its amendments.”

In a statement on Saturday, they demanded the participation of all parties in the upcoming elections, noting that the interventions in Libya have contributed to the flow of weapons and mercenaries.

They further called for achieving comprehensive national reconciliation by forming a committee for “reconciliation and openness”.



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 25 people on Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new US ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem.

The dead included 15 people killed in three strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Ten people were killed in Jabalia, including eight from the same home, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where the bodies were brought.

The strikes came a day after more than two dozen people died in Gaza as Israel continued attacks, pressuring Hamas to return the hostages and disarm.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited the Western Wall on Friday, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem’s Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by US President Donald Trump. "Those are his initials, D.T.,“ said Huckabee while showing the note to the media.

In his first act as ambassador, Huckabee said Trump told him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Huckabee also said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. A one-time presidential hopeful, Huckabee has acknowledged his past support for Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his “prerogative” to carry out that policy.

During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital over Palestinian objections and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv. Palestinians seek the eastern part of the city, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as their future capital.

Huckabee's arrival comes at a pivotal time in the 18-month war, as international mediators including the US are trying to get a broken ceasefire back on track.

Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Israel has said it plans to occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said Thursday the group had rejected Israel’s latest proposal along those lines. He reiterated Hamas’ stance that it will return hostages only in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached in January.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Friday’s airstrikes came a day after aid groups raised alarm over Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where it has barred entry of all food and other goods for more than six weeks. Thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, the United Nations said.

Israel’s Defense Minister says the blockade is one of the “central pressure tactics” against Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid to maintain its rule. Aid workers deny there is significant diversion of aid, saying the UN closely monitors distribution. Rights groups have called it a “starvation tactic.”

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.  

The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90% of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.