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Libyan Eastern Parliament Speaker Calls for New Government

Speaker of Libya’s east-based parliament Aguila Saleh. (AFP)
Speaker of Libya’s east-based parliament Aguila Saleh. (AFP)
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Libyan Eastern Parliament Speaker Calls for New Government

Speaker of Libya’s east-based parliament Aguila Saleh. (AFP)
Speaker of Libya’s east-based parliament Aguila Saleh. (AFP)

The speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament said on Monday the interim government must be replaced and he would launch a process to redraft the constitution, after plans for an election fell apart last month.

The moves, announced by parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh as he entered the chamber in the eastern city of Benghazi, could delay by months any new election aimed at ending years of war between factions based in the east and the west.

An interim Government of National Unity (GNU) took office last year and national elections were meant to take place on Dec. 24, but the vote was put off amid disputes between rival factions over the rules. There is no agreement yet among Libyan political leaders or foreign powers over what to do next.

Saleh said the GNU was no longer legitimate, a new government must be installed, and a new committee be formed to rewrite the constitution.

Any new government unilaterally declared by the parliament could thrust Libya back to the division between eastern and western administrations that prevailed before the GNU was installed.

Any such moves are likely to be challenged by other Libyan political institutions, and any new disputes over the process could further delay the elections.

GNU spokesman Mohamed Hamouda said the administration "works according to a political agreement and a roadmap" and that it would continue to operate until the elections were held.

Western countries have said they will continue to recognize the GNU for now. The UN Libya adviser, Stephanie Williams, has said the focus should be on holding elections rather than installing a new interim government.

Tarek Megerisi of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank said foreign powers will probably stick to their calls for elections, backing a new UN mediation process to come up with a consensus on new election rules.

Since the polling day passed without a vote, rival factions have been negotiating on what to do next. Election commission head Emad Sayeh, who had previously suggested a delayed election on Jan. 24, said it would take 6-8 months to organize any new election that involved a new process for registering candidates.

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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.