US Provides $4Mln in COVID-19 Assistance to Libya

People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
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US Provides $4Mln in COVID-19 Assistance to Libya

People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)
People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)

The United States said it is providing four million dollars in additional COVID-19 assistance for Libya through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

This new funding will provide technical assistance, equipment and supplies to support Libya’s National Vaccine and Deployment plan and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, said the US embassy in Libya.

“We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with the Libyan government and Libyan people to respond to this unprecedented global pandemic and strengthen the response capacities needed to forestall or mitigate future crises,” said USAID Mission Director John Pennell.

This additional assistance from the historic American Rescue Plan brings the US contribution to confront the pandemic in Libya to more than $20 million from regular and supplemental appropriations since the start of the pandemic, he added.

This assistance has supported the Libyan government and civil society to respond to immediate public health needs, provide emergency assistance to Libya’s most vulnerable communities, and support its economic recovery, the embassy noted.

The US reiterated its commitment to “partnering with Libya to end the COVID-19 pandemic, respond to its social and economic impacts and build back a world that is even better prepared for future health emergencies.”

Libya has recorded 360,000 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, including about 305,000 recoveries, health authorities announced.



Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Independent Israeli Commission Blames Netanyahu and Others for October 2023 Attack

A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A protester walks between vehicles as people protest demanding the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, ahead of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services.

The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe.

The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.”

It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues.

The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means.

On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking.

The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over.