TRIPOLI: At least 160 migrants have drowned off Libya’s coast after their boats sank over the past week, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.
“During the past week, at least 160 lives were lost in the Central Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya,” said Safa Msehli, spokesperson for the Geneva-based UN agency.
“Nearly 1,500 migrants drowned on this route this year,” she wrote on Twitter.
The IOM said that 466 migrants were intercepted or rescued at sea and returned to Libya between December 12 and 18.
Libya, which plunged into civil war following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, has become a key route for migrants seeking to reach Europe to escape poverty and conflict.
In Morocco, another major migrant departure point, state media said that 352 migrants had been intercepted in the Mediterranean and Atlantic in the past four days.
These migrants were on board inflatable boats, kayaks or jet skis. They included 23 women and nine children, the MAP news agency said, citing a military official.
After receiving first aid aboard naval vessels they were transported to the nearest Moroccan ports and handed over to the authorities.
Police in Morocco said on Monday that they had arrested more than 12,200 potential illegal migrants and dismantled 150 smuggling networks so far this year.
At least 160 migrants die off Libya in one week: IOM
https://arab.news/gvc37
At least 160 migrants die off Libya in one week: IOM
- "Nearly 1,500 migrants drowned on this route this year," said Safa Msehli
- IOM said 466 migrants were intercepted or rescued at sea and returned to Libya between December 12 and 18
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
