Spain Hails 'Close Cooperation' with Morocco in Managing Migration Flows

A file photo of would-be immigrants stand atop a border fence separating Morocco from the enclave of Melilla. (AFP)
A file photo of would-be immigrants stand atop a border fence separating Morocco from the enclave of Melilla. (AFP)
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Spain Hails 'Close Cooperation' with Morocco in Managing Migration Flows

A file photo of would-be immigrants stand atop a border fence separating Morocco from the enclave of Melilla. (AFP)
A file photo of would-be immigrants stand atop a border fence separating Morocco from the enclave of Melilla. (AFP)

Spain's Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela Rodriguez, hailed on Wednesday the “close cooperation” with Morocco in managing migration flows, the Moroccan news agency, MAP, reported.
Speaking at a press conference to outline the recently-approved reform of Spain's immigration law, Rodriguez highlighted the strong relations between the two countries, based on historical, cultural and neighborly ties, and their “exemplary” cooperation in managing human mobility.
The Spanish official noted that Morocco and Spain are working closely on circular and orderly migration projects, adding that both parties are determined to pursue their efforts along this path.
“Joint efforts of the two countries are part of this momentum,” she said.
Rodriguez also pointed out that this cooperation model is mutually beneficial, stressing the need to continue this collaboration in the future to manage migratory flows more effectively.
She emphasized the importance of regular meetings of the Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Joint Migration Group, which assesses the progress made in managing migratory flows where Morocco plays “a key role.”
Earlier, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares praised Morocco’s cooperation with Spain in combating irregular migration, highlighting the crucial role the partnership plays in addressing migration challenges and enhancing border security.

In an interview with Spanish online newspaper El Diario, Albares said Morocco is still contributing to preventing irregular migration flows, explaining that hundreds of people who tried to cross the fence in occupied Ceuta and Melilla were stopped.
He said the issue of irregular migration cannot be managed without Morocco’s help.
The Minister praised the Kingdom’s cooperation, which he said makes Rabat a strategic partner for Spain and Europe.

 

 



Israeli Troops Expand 'Security Zone' in Northern Gaza

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israeli Troops Expand 'Security Zone' in Northern Gaza

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israeli troops moved into an area of northern Gaza to expand what they call a security zone around the edge of the enclave, the military said on Friday, days after the government announced plans to seize large areas with an operation in the south.

Soldiers carrying out the operation in Shejaia, a suburb east of Gaza City in the north, were letting civilians out via organized routes, the military said in a statement.

Israel issued evacuation warnings in the area on Thursday, and hundreds of residents streamed out, some carrying their belongings as they walked, others on donkey carts and bikes or in vans, reported Reuters.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces killed at least 27 people, including women and children, in an airstrike on a school building in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering.

The military said the Dar Al-Arqam school building in Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City had been used a command and control center by Hamas militants and accused the fighters of deliberately using civilian infrastructure as bases. Hamas denies that it operates among civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing their homes in recent days in one of the biggest mass exoduses of the war, as Israeli forces have moved to expand the territory under their control.

On the southern edge of Gaza, Israeli troops have been consolidating around the ruins of the city of Rafah.

Israel has not fully explained its long-term aim for the areas it is now seizing as a security zone. Gaza residents say they believe the aim is to permanently depopulate swathes of land, including some of Gaza's last farmland and water infrastructure.

The military said it had killed numerous militants and dismantled infrastructure, including what it said was a Hamas command and control center.

Palestinians say Israel's ultimate aim is to displace Gaza's population permanently, in line with a plan announced by US President Donald Trump to turn the enclave into a waterfront resort under US control. Israel says it would encourage Palestinians who wish to leave voluntarily.

Israeli troops resumed their operation in Gaza on March 18, following a two-month truce. Ministers have said the operation will continue until 59 hostages still held in Gaza are returned. Hamas says it will free them only under a deal that brings a permanent end to the war.

The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has reduced much of Gaza to ruins and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health authorities.