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Haftar Urges WHO to Support Libya in Fight against COVID-19

LNA Commander-in-chief Khalifa Haftar meets with WHO Representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff, LNA General Command
LNA Commander-in-chief Khalifa Haftar meets with WHO Representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff, LNA General Command
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Haftar Urges WHO to Support Libya in Fight against COVID-19

LNA Commander-in-chief Khalifa Haftar meets with WHO Representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff, LNA General Command
LNA Commander-in-chief Khalifa Haftar meets with WHO Representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff, LNA General Command

Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar called on the World Health Organization to support his country with equipment to fight the coronavirus as infections spread in the North African country.

Libya has recorded 395 new cases of emerging coronavirus infection out of 2,607 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the National Centre for Disease Control announced on Thursday.

The LNA general command announced that Haftar had received WHO Representative in Libya Elizabeth Hoff at the LNA headquarters in al-Jamra on Wednesday. The two discussed WHO operations in Libya and its support for the health sector, especially with regard to providing equipment to detect the virus.

Despite WHO efforts in Libya, the coronavirus is spreading at a staggeringly high daily rate among the population. Tripoli ranked first with the number of infections on Thursday with 123 new detected cases, followed by the western Yefren city with 73 cases. Benghazi ranked third with 71 new infections.

The total number of COVID-19 infections rose to 9,463 cases with 1,018 recoveries and 169 deaths.

The southern Kufra district issued five public recommendations aiming to stem the spread of the virus. They included cancelling all social gathering events, limiting travel between cities, and wearing face masks. The district called for punishing violators.

The US embassy in Libya said that USAID supports the International Medical Corps to increase accesses to health services for families displaced by the long-term conflict in Libya.

The embassy, in a statement, said that doctors, nurses and mental health consultants of the International Medical Corps, a non-profit organization, provide basic medical care and psychological and social support to help families deal with stress and trauma in health facilities serving displaced communities.

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Arab World

Human Rights Catastrophe Unfolding in Sudan’s Al-Obeid, Says UN’s Turk

Women and children queue to receive free food being distributed in al-Mohayra camp for displaced people, near the city of al-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
Women and children queue to receive free food being distributed in al-Mohayra camp for displaced people, near the city of al-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
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Human Rights Catastrophe Unfolding in Sudan’s Al-Obeid, Says UN’s Turk

Women and children queue to receive free food being distributed in al-Mohayra camp for displaced people, near the city of al-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)
Women and children queue to receive free food being distributed in al-Mohayra camp for displaced people, near the city of al-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region, on June 29, 2026. (AFP)

The United Nations human rights chief on Friday said another human rights catastrophe was unfolding in Sudan, in the city of al-Obeid in North Kordofan, and urged the world to act.

"The signs from al-Obeid are clear and unmistakable: Another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, this ‌time in ‌the capital of the strategic ‌state ⁠of North Kordofan," ⁠the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk told delegates in Geneva during an urgent debate at the UN human rights council on the situation in the region.

The urgent debate ⁠was called by Britain, whose ‌envoy previously warned ‌of the risk of large-scale atrocities following reports ‌that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support ‌Forces and allies are massing forces around the city of al-Obeid, which could result in an escalation of the conflict.

Turk told delegates ‌that civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 ⁠months, ⁠with shortages of clean water reaching a critical point in al-Obeid amid relentless drone strikes as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF battle for control over areas surrounding the city.

At least 45 civilians were killed and 41 injured in 15 drone strikes in al-Obeid and surrounding areas between June 6-28 recorded by the UN human rights office.

Arab World

Christian Villages in Southern Lebanon Face Occupation, Isolation as Residents Wait in Limbo

A view of the Christian town of Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon (Ain Ebel Municipality Facebook page)
A view of the Christian town of Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon (Ain Ebel Municipality Facebook page)
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Christian Villages in Southern Lebanon Face Occupation, Isolation as Residents Wait in Limbo

A view of the Christian town of Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon (Ain Ebel Municipality Facebook page)
A view of the Christian town of Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon (Ain Ebel Municipality Facebook page)

The Christian border villages in southern Lebanon, particularly Debel, Ain Ebel, and Rmeich, are experiencing difficult humanitarian and security conditions, despite the signing of a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at achieving "lasting peace."

Residents affirm that their reality does not reflect any signs of stability, given the continued Israeli military presence and restrictions imposed on their movement, in addition to the widespread destruction that has affected neighboring villages and towns, according to a report by the French newspaper "Le Figaro."

Israeli vehicles and tanks are deployed at the entrances to some villages, while large areas of the South have been reduced to rubble after military operations, with homes, infrastructure, and agricultural fields destroyed.

Life Under Restrictions and Humanitarian Aid

Residents of the village of Debel rely almost entirely on humanitarian aid convoys that are allowed in only intermittently, following the collapse of the public electricity supply and severe restrictions on bringing in essential goods. Several residents describe life as being "like a prison," saying they are unable to leave the village freely, while many fear that if they flee, their homes could be destroyed and the village itself could cease to exist.

Residents also recount tragic incidents, including the killing of civilians while traveling between villages, despite having obtained transit permits, which has heightened their sense of insecurity.

Economic Crisis and Lack of Income Sources

In Ain Ebel, security restrictions have prevented farmers from accessing their lands, depriving many of their primary source of livelihood. Commercial activity has also significantly declined.

Despite the slowdown in military confrontations in the region, residents continue to live in a state of anxiety and anticipation, with ongoing ambiguity regarding the future of the border villages and the possibility of resuming schooling and normal life.

Absence of the State and Demands for the Army's Return

Residents of Rmeich and neighboring villages express their dissatisfaction with what they perceive as the absence of the Lebanese state, noting that local security now relies on municipal police forces, while they demand the return of the Lebanese Army to assume its responsibilities in the region.

Residents also affirm that they feel their suffering does not receive sufficient attention, and that the Church has become the primary entity providing them support amid the ongoing crisis.

Conversely, the security agreement links the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the region to the disarmament of Hezbollah, while Israel asserts that it will maintain its forces as long as Hezbollah poses a security threat, which raises residents' fears of the current situation continuing for a long time.

Arab World

In the West Bank, Israeli Settlers Take Over Palestinian’s Dream Home

An Israeli settler sits on the roof of the Palestinian Salameh family house, which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the village of Jalud in the Israeli-occupied West Bank July 2, 2026. (Reuters)
An Israeli settler sits on the roof of the Palestinian Salameh family house, which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the village of Jalud in the Israeli-occupied West Bank July 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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In the West Bank, Israeli Settlers Take Over Palestinian’s Dream Home

An Israeli settler sits on the roof of the Palestinian Salameh family house, which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the village of Jalud in the Israeli-occupied West Bank July 2, 2026. (Reuters)
An Israeli settler sits on the roof of the Palestinian Salameh family house, which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the village of Jalud in the Israeli-occupied West Bank July 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Palestinian Mohammad Salameh was building a home for his family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where his recently engaged son was meant to start married life. Instead, before construction was complete, a group of Israeli settlers seized the property.

Video filmed earlier in the week and verified by Reuters showed at least six settlers moving around on the roof of the two-storey house, which sits below a nearby hill.

Salameh said appeals to the Israeli military and police brought no help.

Now he fears his home, which like many others in the Palestinian territory is surrounded by Israeli settlements and smaller outposts, is lost forever.

Other houses in the area could suffer the same fate, ‌he said.

"Only God ‌knows, if there is law and order then they will leave," Salameh ‌said. "If ⁠they succeeded with ⁠taking one, then the rest will follow."

Reuters was unable to reach the settlers for comment. One of them could be seen walking on the house's roof on Thursday.

The Israeli military said it was checking Reuters' request for comment, but had not responded by Friday. The Israeli police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jewish settlement of Shilo in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as seen from the Palestinian village of Jalud July 2, 2026. (Reuters)

SETTLEMENTS, SETTLER ATTACKS WIDEN UNDER NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT

The seizure of Palestinian land by settlers is a longstanding feature of life in the West Bank, where about 500,000 ⁠Israelis live among roughly 3 million Palestinians.

Palestinians have for years reported damage ‌to farmland, vandalism and attacks linked to settlement expansion.

A ‌UN inquiry reported last month that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had surged since 2023, ‌rising by 130%.

Residents of Jalud, Salameh's village, say this week's incident marks another troubling escalation ‌because the settlers seized a house that was still under construction.

"They have now moved down to within no more than 100 meters from the last house in Jalud, which is also a house under construction belonging to a resident," said Raed al-Haj Mohammad, head of the village council.

Jalud has faced five major settler ‌attacks, he said, including the burning of homes, damage to vehicles and the uprooting of trees.

Most countries and the United Nations regard Israeli ⁠settlements in the West Bank ⁠as illegal under international law, citing the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on transferring a civilian population into occupied territory.

Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been a Jewish presence for thousands of years.

Palestinians consider the West Bank, together with Gaza and East Jerusalem, as part of a Palestinian state.

Settlement building and settler violence have long been among the biggest obstacles to peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Even Israel's staunchest allies, including the United States, have condemned settler actions.

Nevertheless, settlement expansion has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which relies on hardline pro-settlement parties to maintain its parliamentary majority.

For Salameh, the dispute is painfully personal.

Construction on the house stalled after the Gaza war erupted in 2023, when his son could not find work and the family's finances came under strain.

"The neighbor close by has built a two-story house, which they will probably take too, if we lose this house (his) they will lose theirs," he said.