Libya Parliament Speaker Submits Papers to Run for President

Parliament head Aguila Saleh attends a session to discuss approving new government, in Sirte, Libya March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
Parliament head Aguila Saleh attends a session to discuss approving new government, in Sirte, Libya March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
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Libya Parliament Speaker Submits Papers to Run for President

Parliament head Aguila Saleh attends a session to discuss approving new government, in Sirte, Libya March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
Parliament head Aguila Saleh attends a session to discuss approving new government, in Sirte, Libya March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

The speaker of the eastern-based Libyan parliament, Aguila Saleh, submitted papers on Saturday to stand in presidential elections.

"I came today to the headquarters of the High Elections Commission in Benghazi to submit the required documents for the nomination to the position of president of the Libyan Republic", he said on Libya Votes TV.

The elections, scheduled for Dec. 24, remain in doubt amid disputes over the rules.

Saleh, 77, who has led the country’s House of Representatives since 2014, announced his candidacy in a video statement late Wednesday.

“We are working to overcome the past, and close the chapter of conflict, and to embark on the future,” Saleh, a former judge, said in the statement.

Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar and Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, a son of ousted dictator Moammer Gaddafi, have also announced bids.



Israeli Strike on a Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 7 People, Including 4 Children

A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strike on a Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 7 People, Including 4 Children

A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and injured 16 other people on Friday afternoon, health officials said.

The strike hit an apartment in the Jaffa residential tower in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The dead and wounded were taken to Aqsa and Awda hospitals.

The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the strike. Israel says it only strikes fighters and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them.