Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
TT
20

Hannibal Gaddafi Suffers Health, Psychological Setback, Refuses to See Doctors

Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)
Hannibal Gaddafi (Ismail Zitouny- Reuters)

An official Lebanese source revealed that Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, “is going through a very difficult health and psychological condition,” as he awaits his prosecution seven years after his detention under an arrest warrant in Lebanon.

The Lebanese judiciary accuses the son of Muammar Gaddafi of “withholding information related to the fate of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine,” who went missing during a visit to the Libyan capital in 1978.

The official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hannibal “suffers from difficult health symptoms,” adding that his condition has further deteriorated in recent weeks.

“He refuses to talk to anyone or to be examined by doctors,” according to the source.

Gaddafi’s attorney, Ghassan al-Mawla, refused to give details on his client’s situation, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that he was “committed to the instructions of the Bar Association, which prevent lawyers from making media statements.”

Hannibal Gaddafi’s judicial case has seen no progress in seven years, due to the Libyan authorities’ reluctance to cooperate with Judge Zaher Hamadeh, who is in charge of the matter.

An informed judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the judicial investigator has “sent several memos to notify 13 Libyan individuals of their suspicious involvement in the case, including officers and key cadres in the Muammar Gaddafi regime.”

But Libyan authorities deliberately ignored the Lebanese requests, the source underlined.

The source stressed that Hannibal was arrested according to the law and without any injustice, adding that legal measures were taken against him for concealing information about the kidnapping and disappearance of Imam al-Sadr and his two companions and his suspicious involvement in the case.



Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
TT
20

Israel Confirms Calling Up Reservists for Gaza War Expansion

Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli armored vehicles take position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israel's army on Sunday confirmed it was calling up "tens of thousands" of reservists to expand its war in Gaza, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said.

"This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza," Zamir said in a statement, adding the army would destroy all Hamas infrastructure, "both on the surface and underground.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the expansion of the Gaza offensive and a possible resumption of aid into the besieged enclave, two government officials said.
In a video message posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, hours after part of a missile launched from Yemen by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia fell close to Israel's main gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said he was convening the security cabinet to discuss "the next stage" of the war in Gaza.
It was unclear if the ministers will give final approval at the meeting.
Already in control of almost a third of Gaza's territory, Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a US-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.
Ministers have justified the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied. At the same time, Israel has faced warnings of famine in Gaza as supplies run low.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported last week that a new plan was in the works by which aid will soon be distributed by private foreign companies, rather than UN agencies, in a new designated humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza area of Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks.
New aid plans will be discussed at Sunday's security cabinet meeting, two officials said.
Aid has been a contested issue within the Israeli leadership and defense establishment for months. The military has pushed back against calls by some politicians who want Israel to seize Gaza for good and have Israeli soldiers hand out aid.