GAZA: Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, for the first time in nearly 80 days, to allow stranded Palestinians to return to the Gaza Strip, witnesses and officials said.
But it did not allow traffic the other way, leaving thousands of Gazans, some of whom need to travel for medical treatment, stuck inside the tiny enclave, authorities there said.
Since the Egyptian Army ousted President Muhammad Mursi in 2013, Cairo has largely kept Rafah, the main gateway to the Palestinian enclave that is run by Hamas, closed.
It has occasionally opened the crossing to allow passengers with foreign passports as well as students and patients to travel. Israel also has strict limitations on Palestinian travel through its border with Gaza.
Maher Abu Sabha, the Hamas-appointed director of Gaza crossings, said more than 15,000 Palestinians, including 3,000 people seeking medical treatment, had registered with his office to travel outside the enclave.
Egypt opens Rafah to let Palestinians return to Gaza
Egypt opens Rafah to let Palestinians return to Gaza
Morocco deploys army to help evacuate thousands after floods
- More than 20,000 people had been moved to shelter and camps by Saturday
- Authorities set up sandbags and temporary barriers in flood-prone districts as waters began to recede
RABAT: Morocco has deployed army rescue units to help with the evacuation of thousands of people after floods triggered by torrential rains and rising river levels hit parts of the country’s northwest, state TV reported on Saturday.
Weeks of heavy rainfall, combined with water releases from a nearly full dam nearby, increased water levels in the Loukous River and flooded several neighborhoods in the city of Ksar Kbir, about 190 km (118 miles) north of the capital Rabat, a national flood follow-up committee said.
More than 20,000 people had been moved to shelter and camps by Saturday, official media reported.
Authorities set up sandbags and temporary barriers in flood-prone districts as waters began to recede.
Schools in Ksar Kbir have been ordered to remain closed until February 7 as a precaution.
In the nearby province of Sidi Kacem, the Sebou River’s rising levels prompted evacuations from several villages as authorities raised vigilance levels.
The abundant rainfall ended a seven-year drought that drove the country to invest heavily in desalination plants.
The average dam-filling rate has risen to 60 percent, with several major reservoirs reaching full capacity, according to official data.
Last month, 37 people were killed in flash floods in the Atlantic coastal city of Safi, south of Rabat.
