Bashagha: Holding Elections in Libya Impossible with Two Govts

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
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Bashagha: Holding Elections in Libya Impossible with Two Govts

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha stressed on Wednesday that holding presidential and parliamentary elections in the country will be impossible amid the presence of two rival governments.

He declared that Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah's Government of National Unity (GNU) had lost its legitimacy in wake of the 2020 Geneva agreement.

He remarked, however, that the United Nations still recognizes it. A new round of dialogue will ensure the GNU’s removal from power.

The dialogue, revealed Bashagha, will be held before the end of the month.

He did not provide further details about the alleged talks.

Moreover, he stressed that the GNU “failed miserably” in fulfilling its task of holding elections and carrying out reforms.

Libya must have only one government that can ensure that elections are held, stated Bashagha.

He also underlined the need to unify all state institutions, including the military.

He made his remarks hours after the UN mission in Libya denied claims about the formation of a new “legislative” body, which is affiliated with it, that would seek to come up with solutions to Libya’s crises.

“The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has received some enquiries regarding the alleged formation of a new legislative body aimed at establishing a way forward by an unknown organization claiming to be affiliated with the United Nations,” tweeted the mission.

“UNSMIL confirms that this body is not related to the UN or the Mission in Libya. All news and announcements about UNSMIL’s work are published on the official social media channels and website,” it added.



Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Fire Kills 8 Near Aid Centers, 4 Others

19 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians gather along the Coastal Road in the Al-Sudaniyya area of northern Gaza as they wait for humanitarian aid expected to arrive through the Zikim crossing on 19 June 2025. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians gather along the Coastal Road in the Al-Sudaniyya area of northern Gaza as they wait for humanitarian aid expected to arrive through the Zikim crossing on 19 June 2025. (dpa)
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Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Fire Kills 8 Near Aid Centers, 4 Others

19 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians gather along the Coastal Road in the Al-Sudaniyya area of northern Gaza as they wait for humanitarian aid expected to arrive through the Zikim crossing on 19 June 2025. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians gather along the Coastal Road in the Al-Sudaniyya area of northern Gaza as they wait for humanitarian aid expected to arrive through the Zikim crossing on 19 June 2025. (dpa)

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed at least 12 people on Saturday, including eight who had gathered near aid distribution sites in the Palestinian territory suffering severe food shortages.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that three people were killed by gunfire from Israeli forces while waiting to collect aid in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a separate incident, Bassal said five people were killed in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving food rations.

The Israeli army told AFP it was "looking into" both incidents, which according to the civil defense agency occurred near distribution centers run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Its operations began at the end of May when Israel eased a total aid blockade that lasted more than two months but have been marred by chaotic scenes and neutrality concerns.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said on Saturday that 450 people had been killed and 3,466 others injured while seeking aid in near-daily incidents since late May.

The Israeli blockade imposed in early March amid an impasse in truce negotiations had produced famine-like conditions across Gaza, according to rights groups.

Israel's military has pressed its operations across Gaza more than 20 months since an unprecedented Hamas attack triggered the devastating war, and even as attention has shifted to the war with Iran since June 13.

Bassal told AFP that three people were killed on Saturday in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City in the north, and one more in another strike on the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israeli forces also demolished more than 10 houses in Gaza City "by detonating them with explosives", he added.

Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities.

Earlier this week, the UN's World Health Organization warned that Gaza's health system was at a "breaking point", pleading for fuel to be allowed into the territory to keep its remaining hospitals running.

The Hamas attack in October 2023 that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 55,908 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The UN considers these figures reliable.