CAIRO: A delegation of senior Hamas leaders discussed the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on Sunday with the head of Egyptian intelligence, the Palestinian militant group said.
Led by Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, the delegation arrived in the Egyptian capital on Saturday for talks on Sunday with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, two officials from the movement told AFP.
Hamas said in a statement that it “reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the (ceasefire) agreement, stressing the importance of putting an end to Israeli violations.”
“The nature of the second phase of the agreement” was also discussed in Cairo, Hamas added, without giving further details.
The second stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan concerns disarming Hamas, establishing a transitional authority and deploying an international stabilization force.
Hamas, excluded from any role in the future governance of the territory under the Trump plan adopted by the UN Security Council, is refusing to disarm.
Over the past few days, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the US-brokered truce that came into effect on October 10 after two years of war.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple Israeli air strikes on Saturday.
The Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” had crossed the so-called Yellow Line within the Gaza Strip, behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn, and fired at Israeli soldiers.
In response to the incident in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said it “began striking terror targets in the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas said on Sunday it had also raised the fate of fighters in Gaza’s southern area of Rafah with whom it had lost contact.
According to various media reports, up to 200 Hamas fighters are believed to be trapped in tunnels in Gaza beneath part of the territory where the Israeli army has redeployed under phase one of the agreement.
Hamas says discussed second phase of Gaza truce in Cairo
https://arab.news/22374
Hamas says discussed second phase of Gaza truce in Cairo
- Chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya led Hamas delegation that met the head of Egyptian intelligence
- 2nd stage of Gaza ceasefire plan concerns disarmament, which Hamas rejects
Morocco to secure 60% of water needs from desalination
- Rabat boosts investment in facilities powered by renewable energy, minister tells Marrakech conference
MARRAKECH: Morocco, which has endured seven years of drought, plans to supply 60 percent of its drinking water from treated seawater by 2030, up from 25 percent, its water minister said, as Rabat accelerates investment in desalination plants powered by renewable energy.
The push is crucial to ensure a steady water supply and to maintain Morocco’s status as a key producer and exporter of fresh produce amid climate change, as droughts have dried up some of its main water reservoirs and depleted underground resources.
FASTFACT
The plant will have a capacity of 350 million cubic meters and will supply urban centers in Morocco’s food basket as well as farmlands.
The North African country plans to produce 1.7 billion cubic meters of desalinated water annually by 2030 from projects under construction and plants for which it will hold tenders starting next year, Nizar Baraka said on the sidelines of the World Water Congress in Marrakech.
The largest plant — with planned investment of about 10 billion dirhams ($1 billion) — will be located near Tiznit, 615 km south of the capital Rabat.
It will have a capacity of 350 million cubic meters and will supply urban centers in the country’s food basket as well as farmlands, he said.
“Studies are underway as part of preparations for the plant’s tender, to be announced by mid next year,” Baraka said.
Besides the northern cities of Nador and Tangier, plants are also planned in Rabat in partnership with the French group Veolia, as well as in Tantan, where the government is considering building a port dedicated to green hydrogen and ammonia exports, Baraka said.
Morocco currently operates 17 desalination plants producing 345 million cubic meters annually.
Four additional plants are under construction with a combined capacity of 540 million cubic meters, scheduled to be ready by 2027, including a major facility in Casablanca, the country’s most populous city.
“All new desalination plants will be powered by renewable energy,” Baraka said.
Morocco has also faced rising temperatures and worsening evaporation in dams.
To counter this, it installed floating solar panels on a dam near Tangier to reduce evaporation, which accounts for 30 percent of the country’s surface water loss, according to the minister.
“The experiment will be expanded to include dams in the south and mountainous regions,” Baraka said.
