Extreme Heat in Morocco Claims 21 Lives

21 deaths, most of them elderly or suffering from chronic illnesses, were recorded in Morocco due to a heatwave (dpa)
21 deaths, most of them elderly or suffering from chronic illnesses, were recorded in Morocco due to a heatwave (dpa)
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Extreme Heat in Morocco Claims 21 Lives

21 deaths, most of them elderly or suffering from chronic illnesses, were recorded in Morocco due to a heatwave (dpa)
21 deaths, most of them elderly or suffering from chronic illnesses, were recorded in Morocco due to a heatwave (dpa)

A heatwave in Morocco has killed at least 21 people in a 24-hour period in the central city of Beni Mellal, the health ministry announced on Thursday
The meteorology department said soaring temperatures affected much of the North African country from Monday to Wednesday, reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) in some areas.
In Beni Mellal, "the majority of deaths involved people suffering from chronic illnesses and the elderly, with high temperatures contributing to the deterioration of their health conditions," the regional health directorate said in a statement.
Morocco has suffered a sixth consecutive year of drought, and record heat this past winter with January the hottest since 1940, according to the meteorology department.
The rising temperatures and prolonged drought, which have lowered reservoir levels, are a threat to the vital farm sector.
Water evaporation reached 1.5 million cubic meters per day, Water Minister Nizar Baraka said at the end of June.
Globally, Monday was the hottest day recorded since measurements began in 1940, the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation program said.
Morocco's record temperature -- 50.4 degrees Celsius -- was set in August last year in the coastal resort city of Agadir.

 



Sisi, King Abdullah Agree that Gaza Should Be Rebuilt Without Displacing Palestinians

Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Sisi, King Abdullah Agree that Gaza Should Be Rebuilt Without Displacing Palestinians

Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II said that Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, Egypt's presidency said in a statement reporting a phone call between the two on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump has continued to push for a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to both Egypt and Jordan, a proposal both countries have rejected repeatedly.

King Abdullah rejected any mass displacement of Palestinians after meeting with Trump on Tuesday.

During the meeting at the White House, Abdullah volunteered to accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or otherwise require medical treatment.
But in a post on X after the meeting, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," adding that it was a "unified Arab position.”

The Palestinians also reject Trump's plan, which they view as an attempt to forcibly displace them from part of their homeland.