Algeria to Reopen Border Crossing with Libya

Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum. EPA
Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum. EPA
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Algeria to Reopen Border Crossing with Libya

Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum. EPA
Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum. EPA

Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum has said his country was finalizing logistical and technical preparations for the reopening of the Debdeb-Ghadames border crossing with Libya.

Boukadoum and Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade Mohamed Al-Hawij held on Saturday a press conference on the sidelines of the Algerian-Libyan Economic Forum.

The two countries are also finalizing the reopening of the maritime link between Algiers and Tripoli for the transportation of goods, Boukadoum said.

He renewed "Algeria's full support to the efforts of the Libyan authorities, represented by the Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity in order to restore political and security stability in Libya, achieve national reconciliation among all the Libyan people, and unify and strengthen state institutions."

He called for “holding free and fair general elections that preserve the Libyan territory’s integrity and unity, and put Libya back on the track of reconstruction, prosperity, and growth.”

"Algeria has hosted all the Libyan warring parties, from across the political spectrum, to bridge differences and find consensual solutions that the Libyans themselves must implement to protect their country from expansionism and foreign interference," he added.

Boukadoum reiterated that Algeria has taken measures to provide a legal and institutional framework for all businesspersons from both countries to implement projects for the benefit of the Libyan and Algerian people.



Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Says Significant Progress Made in Talks to Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony on the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on April 29, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Netanyahu, who has come under pressure from within his right-wing coalition to continue the war and block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, said in a video statement shared by his office that there had been progress, without providing details.

A source familiar with the negotiations said that Washington had been giving Hamas more assurances, in the form of steps that would lead to an end to the war, but said it was US officials who were optimistic, not Israeli ones. The source said there was pressure from Washington to have a deal done as soon as possible.

The White House National Security Council and representatives for US envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading US efforts in the ceasefire talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Hamas representatives.

Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has said it would no longer govern after the war if a Palestinian, non-partisan technocratic committee took over, but it has refused to disarm.

The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms, but Hamas has sought amendments. The group has said that it would release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.

The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 2023 attack and took 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.