Egypt, Qatar Agree to Supply Fuel, Building Materials to Gaza

 A father in the Gaza Strip transports his children on his motorcycle back from school. (Reuters)
A father in the Gaza Strip transports his children on his motorcycle back from school. (Reuters)
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Egypt, Qatar Agree to Supply Fuel, Building Materials to Gaza

 A father in the Gaza Strip transports his children on his motorcycle back from school. (Reuters)
A father in the Gaza Strip transports his children on his motorcycle back from school. (Reuters)

Qatar and Egypt have signed agreements to supply fuel and basic building materials to the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the agreement will help address the salary crisis for Hamas government employees.

The announcement was made in Oslo by Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi,Qatar's minister of state for foreign affairs, during a ministerial meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the international donor group for Palestinians.

Muraikhi affirmed that the joint collaborative efforts will contribute to improving living conditions in Gaza.

Muraikhi underlined the importance of the current understandings for facilitating the movement of travelers through Rafah border crossing and communication among all parties to calm the situation in the region.

The State of Qatar is working with various international community parties to reach a just solution that achieves peace and security in the sisterly State of Palestine, he added.

Qatar has been keen to provide many financial grants, humanitarian support projects and urgent relief interventions to improve the humanitarian, economic and development situation of the Palestinian people, Muraikhi noted.

“This constituted a key factor in improving living conditions, especially in the Gaza Strip, where the total amount provided has amounted to more than $1.5 billion, allocated for health education, housing, industry and agriculture sectors, as well as infrastructure projects, roads, and buildings.”

In August, Israel agreed with Qatar and the United Nations on a mechanism to transfer aid from the Gulf State to Gaza, boosting prospects for relief in the Palestinian enclave after it was devastated in an Israel-Hamas conflict.



Armed Clashes Erupt in Libya’s Tripoli After Reported Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
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Armed Clashes Erupt in Libya’s Tripoli After Reported Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)

Armed clashes erupted on Monday evening and gunfire has echoed in the city center and other parts of the Libyan capital Tripoli following reports that an armed group leader was killed, three residents told Reuters by phone.

The leader, Abdulghani Kikli, known as Ghaniwa, is the commander of Support Force Apparatus SSA, one of Tripoli's powerful armed groups, based in the densely populated Abu Salim neighborhood.

SSA is under the Presidential Council that came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah through a United Nations-backed process.

The GNU's interior ministry called on citizens in a short statement to stay at home "for their own safety."

Following the ministry's call, drivers started speeding and honking in many Tripoli streets.

The GNU media platform said early on Tuesday that the defense ministry had fully taken control of Abu Salim neighborhood.

"I heard heavy gunfire, and I saw red lights in the sky," a resident said on condition of anonymity.

The other two residents said the gunfire was echoing all over their neighborhoods of Abu Salim and Salaheddin.

The University of Tripoli Presidency announced on Facebook the suspension of studies, exams, and administrative work at all faculties, departments and offices until further notice.

The UN Mission in Libya urged all parties to "immediately cease fighting and restore calm," reminding them of their obligation to protect civilians.

"Attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes," it said.

Libya, a major oil producer in the Mediterranean, has had little stability since a 2011 uprising backed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The country split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions.

Major fighting paused with a ceasefire in 2020 but efforts to end the political crisis have failed, with major factions occasionally joining forces in armed clashes and competing for control over Libya's substantial economic resources.

Tripoli and the northwest, where the GNU and most major state institutions are based, are home to rival armed factions that have repeatedly fought.