Libya has reportedly been holding secret talks with Israel, mediated by the United States, to explore the possibility of absorbing “hundreds of thousands of Gazans.”
According to the London-based pro-Qatari outlet Middle East Eye, the discussions have been ongoing for months.
The report claims that Ibrahim Dbeibah, Libya’s national security adviser and relative of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has been conducting “quiet negotiations” with Israeli representatives in coordination with Washington. Under the proposed deal, Libya would accept Gazans in exchange for the U.S. releasing roughly $30 billion in frozen Libyan assets, locked since 2011 to prevent them from being used by Muammar Gaddafi’s regime during the uprising.
The initiative is described as American-led, aimed at creating a “regional solution” by resettling Gazans in a third country. Libya’s parliament has not been informed, reportedly out of fear that public disclosure could spark protests in a nation long ideologically tied to the Palestinian cause.