Libyan PM Dbeibah condemns dire conditions in Gaza during meeting with US officials

Libya on Wednesday denounced the dire conditions in the Gaza Strip during a meeting with US officials in Tripoli. 

Libyan Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid ad-bye-buh Dbeibah, met with Massad Boulos, the US Senior Advisor for Africa and Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. 

In a statement released by Libya’s internationally-recognized government, Dbeibah said he condemned what he called the "crimes, starvation, and ongoing aggression being perpetrated against the Palestinian people in Gaza."

"He emphasized the need for an immediate end to the aggression, lifting the siege, and sparing civilians the ravages of war,” the statement read. 

Experts say Gaza is at severe risk of famine due to Israel’s blockade and offensive, launched in response to the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. 

Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by United Nations agencies.  

They say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Its count doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.