Libya denies claims of official contact with Egypt over ‘Convoy of Steadfastness’

Abdulhadi Al-Hweij, foreign minister in the eastern Libyan government appointed by the Parliament, said there had been no official contact with Egypt regarding the Maghreb “Caravan of Steadfastness” entering through the shared land border.

Speaking to RT, Al-Hweij said: “Every country has its own particularities and its own laws that govern it,” stressing that his government acts within Libyan law and national sovereignty.

He added that his government had welcomed the Maghreb convoy aimed at supporting the Palestinian people and had “provided all possible facilitation to the convoy within the geographic boundaries and legal framework of Libya”.

Al-Hweij affirmed that “Libya’s position on the Palestinian cause is firm and clear”, noting that “the Prime Minister has issued a decision to treat Palestinians on par with Libyans in terms of access to healthcare, education, and humanitarian services – an unprecedented step not taken by any previous Libyan government”.

He also highlighted that “the Libyan House of Representatives is the only legislative body in the world that has passed a law criminalising normalisation with the Zionist entity”, stressing Libya’s consistent support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and its rejection of forced displacement, starvation, and systematic targeting of civilians.

Libya remains split between two administrations: the UN-backed government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east supported by the parliament.

On Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that, in light of recent requests by foreign delegations to visit border areas near Gaza — including the city of Arish and the Rafah crossing — to express solidarity with Palestinian rights, such visits require prior authorisation. The ministry cited national regulations on the entry of foreigners and bilateral agreements governing cross-border movement.

Cairo noted that requests of this nature can be considered by following the procedures put in place since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza. These require formal applications to be submitted through Egyptian embassies abroad, foreign embassies in Cairo, or by official representatives of relevant organisations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Egypt reaffirmed its firm position in support of the Palestinian people’s steadfastness on their land and its rejection of Israel’s blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law. It also stressed the importance of exerting pressure on Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza and to allow humanitarian access through all routes, without being subject to Israeli conditions or restrictions.