Palestinians Flee Gaza Genocide, Swim to Ceuta from Morocco
The influx of swimmers trying to reach Ceuta's shores has intensified since late July, making the Spanish enclave the latest front where migration from Morocco continues to increase.
In response to this sharp spike in irregular migration attempts, Moroccan and Spanish authorities have significantly ramped up their joint security operations in recent days, as reported by El Mundo.
The Spanish outlet reports that Morocco has deployed an unprecedented array of ground and maritime resources along its northern coastline, focusing on intercepting makeshift boats and preventing migrants – many of them unaccompanied minors – from reaching the Spanish enclave.
While arrivals to the Canary Islands have begun to slow following agreements between the Spanish government and Mauritania, migratory pressure remains constant in Ceuta.
According to the latest figures from the Spanish Ministry of Interior, 1,452 people entered Ceuta by land from January to July – a 7.2% increase compared to last year.
These entries occurred via the border fence and through the breakwaters at Tarajal and Benzú. In just the last two weeks of this period, 361 people crossed into the Spanish-controlled territory.
La Guardia Civil sources explain that official statistics don't fully capture the continuous attempts to enter the Moroccan Spanish-controlled city by sea.
These maritime crossing attempts are, however, documented in internal reports accessible to the government delegation. This past Sunday's early morning hours saw one of the nights with the most attempts to cross into Spain.
The journey migrants undertake is increasingly reckless. Swimmers only launch into the water when there's an easterly wind and dense fog covering the coast, conditions that favor their arrival.
To avoid detection by La Guardia Civil, migrants are venturing farther out to sea rather than following the coastline near the breakwaters, putting their lives at serious risk.
Their only lifesaving devices are tiny floats or vehicle tire inner tubes. At least 16 people have lost their lives in waters near the breakwaters this year, indicating the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Ceuta.
Ceuta's intense migratory summer
The migrant population at Ceuta's Temporary Immigration Detention Center (CETI) reflects diverse nationalities beyond Moroccans, including Algerians, sub-Saharan Africans, Pakistanis, Afghans, Bangladeshis, Colombians, and Palestinians who have requested asylum in Spain.
The Palestinian refugees are specifically fleeing the Gaza genocide, desperately seeking sanctuary on European soil.
Just this Saturday, seven more Moroccan minors entered Ceuta by swimming from Morocco, adding to the intense migratory pressure the enclave has experienced since the beginning of summer.
This occurred amid a severely overwhelmed reception system. According to data provided by the Government of Ceuta, the minors' area currently houses more than 480 unaccompanied foreign minors, despite having an optimal capacity of only 132 places.
Weather conditions, especially the dense fog recorded in the early morning hours, have been crucial in facilitating these crossing attempts.
Poor visibility combined with calm seas provides migrants with an opportunity to jump into the water and reach the Ceuta coast. On Saturday, fog and calm seas led dozens of people to attempt to reach the city through the maritime border at Tarajal.
Local authorities anticipate that the current trend of maritime entries, favored by climate conditions and the proximity of the Moroccan coast, will continue in the coming weeks, while reception capacity remains at its limit without sufficient structural reinforcements.
Read also: Over 80 Irregular Immigrants Swim to Ceuta in Summer's Largest Irregular Migration Wave
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
6 hours ago
- Morocco World
Achraf Hakimi Facing France's Independent, Upright Justice
While nothing suggested it would happen, and in the middle of summer, French justice decided to prosecute Achraf Hakimi for rape. The prosecutor's office in Nante indeed requested last weekend that the PSG player be sent before the criminal court of Hauts-de-Seine, for alleged rape that would have been committed in February 2023. But no panic for our national champion, he will be judged by independent and upright justice. It's the prosecutor's office that decided on the referral. However, in France, the prosecutor's office is considered a judicial authority, but remains under the hierarchical supervision of the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice. The question here is simply to know whether or not the current minister, Gérald Darmanin, is informed of this referral decision. Given Achraf Hakimi's status as a key PSG player and captain of the Moroccan national team, we can suppose: yes, Darmanin is well informed. However, if we suppose yes, it would be surprising by such an attitude coming from a man who says of himself a friend of Morocco, and it's not about discharging a guilty person, but simply being fair. Alas…Even the state channel France24 sponsored a Facebook post with an explicit title: 'Trial for rape requested against Hakimi.' No nuance, nothing! If there is unanimity or almost unanimity of Moroccan public opinion around this Hakimi affair and on a possible manipulation of justice to discredit the footballer, it's because the timing of this decision is quite strange; indeed, the Ballon d'Or award for which the Moroccan is nominated occurs in a few weeks, and people quickly thought that this whole affair is 'staged' to favor Achraf Hakimi's teammate, namely Ousmane Dembélé. Moroccans are right to wonder: what happened since February 2023, the month this affair occurred, to convince the prosecutor to refer the player to the criminal chamber, where he risks 15 years in prison? Not much, and according to L'Equipe, the text messages exchanged by the alleged victim point toward an extortion attempt conducted against the Moroccan footballer. This is what makes his defense say that the prosecutor's requisitions are 'incomprehensible and senseless in light of the case file elements.' We remember that for another affair, that of Saâd Lemjarred, Moroccan public opinion was divided between the fans and unconditional supporters of the singer accused of rape and others, who support that justice must prevail. In that affair, the rape was established and the Moroccan public, despite the irreducible and intractable admirers, accepted the judges' verdict. For Hakimi, things are different. Nothing is established, apart from doubtful behavior from the person who presents herself as a victim. But let's reassure ourselves, French justice is independent and suffers neither pressure nor passion, in its affairs with Morocco, with the world, or with France… Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet Case. Two proven blackmailers, recorded, caught red-handed, who confessed their blackmail enterprise against the King of Morocco, were condemned to a light sentence. Eight years after the facts, despite all the evidence. The case is on appeal. Independent and upright justice will rule in October 2025. Moroccan State Case against French press organizations. In 2021, several French media and NGOs had accused Morocco of using Pegasus software to spy on practically the entire earth, including Emmanuel Macron, European dignitaries… Obviously, they provide no other proof than their usual offended condescension. Morocco goes to court and is dismissed in criminal court, on appeal, and in cassation. The reason? It's drawn from a law from… 1881, which stipulates that a State cannot be assimilated to a private individual and therefore cannot initiate a defamation action against press organs. Independent and upright justice has ruled… Omar Raddad Case. He did nothing other than being Moroccan, a gardener, and barely literate. Everything — absolutely everything — shows and substantiates his innocence, but he remains condemned, not rehabilitated, despite the doubts, DNA, and the assaults by Raddad's lawyers. Independent and upright justice 'killed him.' …without counting the numerous 'little judges' who worked and tried to make a name for themselves by 'taking down a Moroccan,' some having plunged into the Benbarka affair, others in the curious summons of Abdellatif Hammouchi in 2014… François Fillon Case. Very complex, this case made its main protagonist say it was an 'institutional coup d'état,' where the National Financial Prosecutor's Office, presented as the armed wing of political power, would have been instrumentalized to prevent the former prime minister from conducting, and perhaps winning, the 2017 presidential election. He was very opportunely accused one month before the election. Since then, independent and upright justice has been maneuvering, tackled by the Constitutional Council and mistreated by François Fillon's scandalized lawyers. Marine Le Pen Case. This somewhat recalls the Fillon file…While a third of the French electorate demands her, justice very heavily condemns Marine Le Pen, prison, ineligibility, fine…Even the prosecutor, in a moment of inattention and according to National Rally people, would have recognized having nothing real to reproach her for. But the independent and upright judges don't see Marine Le Pen at the Élysée, that's all. Tarik Ramadan Case. The Swiss theologian had been prosecuted for several rape accusations, based on text messages exchanged between him and his alleged victims, 10 years earlier. Simple question: how, who has an interest, and who can bring out text messages that are a decade old? In the end, Ramadan had been cleared of all rape accusations, but adultery, although consensual, definitively tainted Tarik Ramadan's reputation as a prudish man. Independent and upright justice passed, Ramadan (morally) passed who pursued, hunted, mistreated, humiliated a former President of the Republic, who had certainly qualified them one day of wandering as 'petits pois' (insignificant), and condemned him solely for money questions. Very well, but then why don't these same judges even dare to think of going after genociders like Netanyahu or Gallant, Ben Gvir, or Smotrich, to name only the current ones? French justice must have forgotten for a moment that it is independent and upright. Foreign Heads of State and dignitaries. French justice, in all ethics and independence, multiplies trials for ill-gotten goods or crimes against humanity… against Africans. But nothing against Tony Blair and George Bush, who nevertheless recognized their lies in 2003 before attacking Iraq, and even less against Israeli killers or others too, who maintain good diplomatic relations with their country; Netanyahu, sought by the International Criminal Court, even flew over French territory, but the independent and upright judges must have been thinking of something else…Would French justice only be independent and upright with variable geometry, with specific geography? Does it function on juridical logic or according to an ideological approach? We could fill entire pages with cases like these, but things are sufficiently clear. In short… Let's return to La Fontaine: 'Depending on whether you are powerful or miserable, court judgments will render you white or black.' Concretely, according to French researchers, in 'the penal response' (Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2013), 'the least favored are more heavily condemned,' and this goes back to Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, and was also confirmed later during the Dreyfus affair. For Achraf Hakimi, the 'victim's' text messages are clear and show an extortion intent, and her behavior is doubtful. We can therefore only be optimistic and reassured, or not, for our national champion, faced with the guarantees presented by independent and upright French justice… But he remains our national champion, smiling, empathetic and upright… and his file for this rape is as devoid of evidence as the independent and upright French judges are of remorse. Tags: Achraf HakimiHakimi France justiceHakimi rape case
Ya Biladi
11 hours ago
- Ya Biladi
Spain's government challenges Jumilla's ban on Muslim celebrations over constitutional rights
The Spanish government in Madrid has issued an ultimatum to the city council of Jumilla (Murcia province) to repeal a recently approved measure backed by local People's Party officials. Proposed by the far-right Vox party, the motion bans the use of municipal facilities for Muslim religious celebrations, specifically Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. If the ban is not revoked within a month, the government will take the matter to administrative court, Iberian media reported Monday, citing the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez. The government has condemned the measure as «racist», arguing that it «arbitrarily restricts» annual festivities and violates the constitutional right to religious freedom, including that of the Muslim community. Last week, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz stressed that her government would ensure «maximum respect for the Constitution». The Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament issued a similar statement and coordinated the revocation request with the Department of Territorial Policy. Minister Félix Bolaños also denounced the measure, calling it evidence of the «extremist drift» of the PP-Vox alliance. «We will put an end to their extreme measures, as we did against obstacles to abortion in Castilla-La Mancha or censorship in Murcia», he said. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) echoed this stance through its spokesperson, Montse Mínguez, who on Saturday accused the People's Party of aligning itself with the ideology of the far right. She warned that this alliance «institutionalizes racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia». Ban in Jumilla Targets Muslim Community While the PP continues to back the motion, the government has vowed to overturn it. Jumilla, a town of nearly 27,000 residents, is home to an estimated 1,500 Muslims. The city council defends its decision as a measure to protect «traditional religious values and practices». According to the government, however, the discriminatory intent is clear, both in the original text and in statements by the Vox spokesperson, who openly boasted about banning Muslim festivities. For Madrid, this is «yet another violation of fundamental rights and freedoms» by local and regional right-wing and far-right administrations, one in which the central government «must intervene to uphold the Constitution». The executive also argues that the justification for the ban is baseless, noting that the law allows municipal sports facilities to be used for «sociocultural activities». The government reaffirmed its «uncompromising commitment» to combating intolerance and defending «the Constitution, democratic values, and peaceful coexistence». It pledged to «politically and legally challenge any initiative aimed at undermining rights and freedoms and dragging Spain toward an authoritarian path, as seen in other countries governed by the far right». Criticism from the Catholic Church and Civil Society Beyond politics, the measure has drawn criticism from the Spanish Episcopal Conference, which cited the constitutional principle of freedom of worship, a position that Vox has rejected. In a province with a significant Moroccan community, civil society groups have also spoken out against the motion. Sabah Yacoubi, president of the Association of Moroccan Immigrant Workers (ATIM) in the region and national vice-president of the organization, told Yabiladi last week that the decision reflects a longstanding contradiction fueled by xenophobic and Islamophobic sentiment. She warned that the PP and Vox's rhetoric about «activities foreign to the people's identity» is «false and dangerous», especially given Spain's historical legacy under Muslim rule during the caliphate.
Ya Biladi
11 hours ago
- Ya Biladi
Morocco at the Panama Book Fair : Algerian disinformation in overdrive
For nearly a week, Algerian media have led a propaganda campaign against Morocco's participation in the Panama International Book Fair, which will take place from August 11 to 17. Official Algerian radio ran a piece titled «Panama Book Fair: Morocco's Participation Rejected in Solidarity with the Sahrawi People», while the website Awras published «Morocco Excluded from International Book Fair Due to Western Sahara». Similarly, Elayem ran «In Support of Western Sahara, Panama Excludes Morocco from International Book Fair», and El Massa described it as a diplomatic setback for Morocco following its alleged exclusion from the fair. The campaign was bolstered by a statement from the Panamanian Solidarity Association with the Sahrawi Cause, which criticized Morocco's participation as «an affront to the principles of justice» and «an attack on the memory of peoples fighting for freedom». The group called Morocco's presence «unacceptable» and claimed it «undermines the spirit of the fair, which should be dedicated to diversity, dialogue, and respect for historical truth». A campaign without impact These claims proved baseless. The fair opened Monday at the Atlapa Convention Center in Panama City under the theme «Weaving Dialogues», with Morocco present as guest of honor, directly contradicting the Algerian media narrative. Orit Btesh, president of the Panamanian Book Chamber, which organizes the event, noted that this year's edition will run for a full week for the first time, with the aim of surpassing last year's attendance of more than 104,000 visitors. Meanwhile, Morocco's Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication announced that its pavilion will feature cultural performances, intellectual and artistic gatherings, and joint seminars with Panama to highlight Moroccan culture and civilization. Morocco's role as guest of honor is not only cultural but also carries strong political and diplomatic significance. It reflects Panama's recent shift on the Sahara issue, moving from recognition of the so-called «Sahrawi Republic» to officially withdrawing that recognition and supporting the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty. This change, which began after President José Raúl Mulino took office in July 2024, dealt a significant blow to the Polisario and its allies. In November 2024, Panama's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that «in accordance with international law, the Government of Panama has decided, as of today, to suspend diplomatic relations» with the «Sahrawi Republic». Just days ago, Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha Vasquez reaffirmed his country's recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara. Historically, Panama was the first country in the Americas to establish diplomatic relations with the separatist front in 1978, and in 2016 the latter opened an embassy in Panama City.
