Egypt Says Six Copts Held In Libya Released

A general view of security in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli (Reuters)
A general view of security in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli (Reuters)
TT
20

Egypt Says Six Copts Held In Libya Released

A general view of security in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli (Reuters)
A general view of security in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli (Reuters)

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that the six Christian Egyptians who were kidnapped and illegally detained earlier this month in western Libya have been released.

The six men, all relatives from Sohag, were abducted after traveling to Libya in search of work in early February.

The Ministry said the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli had contacted the concerned Libyan authorities to intervene to release the citizens.

It received the families of the abducted more than once in the past weeks, given the priority of the incident and as part of efforts to release them.

The Ministry explained that the six citizens left the country with travel permits that stipulated their presence in the Libyan east without going beyond it to other regions, which the citizens pledged to abide by.

It urged all citizens not to violate travel instructions regarding Libya and to fully adhere to the areas of presence and movement allowed before heading to the country.

The security units will continue to do their best to ensure the safety of all citizens.

The families previously accused a broker who accompanied them on the journey of selling them to a gang.

They feared the incident would be similar to when ISIS killed 21 Copts in Sirte in 2015.

Egyptian lawyer Amir Nassif said the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 15,000 Libyan dinars for each person, saying they suffered from a lack of food and water.

Kidnappings of expatriates are widespread in Libya, and human trafficking gangs are active in several regions of the country. They demand ransoms, resell them, or facilitate their secret transfer to the Libyan coasts ahead of their escape to European shores.

The "Libya Crime Watch" organization said it had followed up on the arbitrary arrest of the six Egyptians since Feb. 04, noting that the families reported they had traveled to Libya via Benina International Airport.

They moved to western Libya before being arrested at a security checkpoint supervised by the "Stability Support Apparatus" of the Libyan Presidential Council and the 55th Infantry battalion of the Ministry of Defense. They were taken to an unknown location.

After communicating with their families, the abductees reported that they were being held in a crowded place and that their captors were asking for a ransom in exchange for their release.

Crime Watch said the Libyan Presidential Council and the government are responsible for the safety and lives of the victims, calling on them to work urgently to release them and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The organization also called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission in Libya to open an investigation into the violent incidents.



Israel’s Army Says It Will Fire Air Force Reservists Who Condemned Gaza War

An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Israel’s Army Says It Will Fire Air Force Reservists Who Condemned Gaza War

An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)

Israel's military said Friday it will fire air force reservists who signed an open letter that condemns the war in Gaza for only serving political interests instead of bringing the hostages home.

In a statement to The Associated Press, an army official said there was no room for any individual, including reservists on active duty, “to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in the fighting,” calling the letter a breach of trust between commanders and subordinates.

The army said it had decided that any active reservist who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving. It did not specify how many people that included or if the firings had begun.

Nearly 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed the letter, published in Israeli media Thursday, demanding the immediate return of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the fighting.

The letter comes as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, trying to pressure Hamas to agree to free hostages, 59 of whom are still being held, more than half of which are dead. Israel's imposed a blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle. It has pledged to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor through it.

While the soldiers who signed the letter didn’t refuse to keep serving, it’s part of a growing number of Israeli soldiers speaking out against the 18-month conflict, some saying they saw or did things that crossed ethical lines.

“It’s completely illogical and irresponsible on behalf of the Israeli policy makers ... risking the lives of the hostages, risking the lives of more soldiers and risking lives of many, many more innocent Palestinians, while it had a very clear alternative,” Guy Poran, a retired Israeli Air Force pilot who spearhead the letter told The AP.

He said he's not aware of anyone who signed the letter being fired, and since it was published, it has gained dozens more signatures.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the letter on Friday, saying it was written by a “small handful of weeds, operated by foreign-funded NGOs whose sole goal is to overthrow the right-wing government.” He said anyone who encourages refusal will be immediately dismissed.

Soldiers are required to steer clear of politics, and they rarely speak out against the army. After Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel quickly united behind the war launched against the group. Divisions here have grown as the war progresses, but most criticism has focused on the mounting number of soldiers killed and the failure to bring home hostages, not actions in Gaza.

The war in Gaza shows no signs of slowing.

Since Israel ended an eight-week ceasefire last month, it said it will push further into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed, according to the United Nations.

The Israeli military on Friday issued an urgent warning to residents in several neighborhoods in northern Gaza, calling on them to evacuate immediately. At least 26 people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Palestinians lined up at a charity kitchen Friday in central Gaza said shortages of food, fuel and other essentials are worsening.

“There is no flour or gas or wood. Everything is expensive and there is no money," said Reem Oweis, a displaced woman from al-Mughraqa in south Gaza, waiting in line for a serving of rice, the only food available.

“I completely rely on charity kitchens. If those charity kitchens close, my children and I will die,” said another displace woman, Nema Faragallah.

Also this week, Brazil's Embassy in the West Bank said it had requested the immediate release of the body of a 17-year-old Palestinian prisoner who died in Israeli custody.

A representative from Brazil's office in Ramallah, told the AP it was helping the family speed up the process to bring Walid Ahmad's body home. Ahmad had a Brazilian passport.

According to an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy, starvation was likely the primary cause of his death.

Ahmad had been held for six months without being charged. He was extremely malnourished and also showed signs of inflammation of the colon and scabies, said a report written by Dr. Daniel Solomon, who watched the autopsy, conducted by Israeli experts, at the request of the boy’s family.

Israel’s prison service said it operates according to the law and all prisoners are given basic rights.