Libya’s Dbeibeh Postpones Visit to Benghazi

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Sirte in March. (Reuters)
Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Sirte in March. (Reuters)
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Libya’s Dbeibeh Postpones Visit to Benghazi

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Sirte in March. (Reuters)
Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Sirte in March. (Reuters)

Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid Dbeibeh will postpone a visit to the country's east that had been planned for Monday to demonstrate his government's progress in ending years of division between warring factions.

His spokesman Mohamed Hamouda said in a social media post that the visit had been postponed without giving details.

The GNU was expected to convene in the eastern city of Benghazi for the first time since its appointment.

Expectations were high that Dbeibeh would meet with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, whose is based in the city.

It would have been Dbeibeh’s first visit to the city since his election. He made recent statements in which he said that the city has returned to the “national fold”, drawing sharp criticism from its residents.

Neither Haftar nor Dbeibeh have confirmed whether they would meet, but sources close to the latter said he was “open to any meeting that would bolster the national reconciliation and peace in the country.”

Separately, the east-based parliament continues to refuse to pass the proposed state budget, putting it in a standoff with the GNU.

US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland spoke with Speaker Aguila Saleh from London on April 23 to discuss progress on elections and on the national budget.

He welcomed the Speaker’s firm commitment to holding national elections on December 24 and his assessment of progress toward a constitutional and legal basis to facilitate the elections, said a statement from the embassy on Sunday.

“The speaker also provided an update on negotiations to finalize a budget that can address the nation’s most immediate and pressing needs,” it added.



Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
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Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he hoped talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will be "straightened out" this week.

The US is backing a 60-day ceasefire with a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and talks to end the conflict. Trump told reporters, "We are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week."

On Sunday, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people, including six children at a water collection point, while the Palestinian death toll passed 58,000 after 21 months of war, local health officials said.
Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in indirect talks meant to pause the war and free some Israeli hostages after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington visit last week. A sticking point has emerged over Israeli troops ' deployment during a ceasefire.
Israel says it will end the war only once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, about 20 said to be alive, in exchange for the war's end and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.