Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
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Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)

Turkish intelligence has informed Libya’s new Government of National Unity (GNU) that Ankara will continue to offer training and expertise in line with the agreements struck with its predecessor, the Government of National Accord (GNA), reported local media.

GNA sources, however, informed Ankara that the government will no longer resort to Syrian mercenaries.

The ones already present in Libya will be deported to Turkey, said a government source.

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and new head of the Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi are set to soon visit Turkey to review agreements signed between Tripoli and Ankara, as well as the fate of mercenaries aligned with the GNA.

Dbeibeh and Menfi had both received on Saturday telephone calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said that the sovereignty, independence and unity of “sisterly Libya” were fundamental for Turkey. He vowed that Ankara will continue to provide all forms of necessary support to Libya, stressing the need to bolster and expand cooperation.

Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio paid a visit to Tripoli on Sunday, the first by a European official since the formation of the GNU.

During his surprise visit, he held talks with Dbeibeh, Menfi and his counterpart Najla el-Mangoush.

He underlined Rome’s support for Libya in all fields and its efforts to unify its sovereign state institutions.

Menfi’s office revealed that Italy has started to increase its diplomatic representation in Libya.



52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday. Also, 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Another four people were killed in strikes near a fuel station, and 15 others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas infrastructure sites. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths.

The Hamas-led group killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.