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Photos: Long winter for Morocco quake survivors

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Photos: Long winter for Morocco quake survivors

Long, cold months have passed since an earthquake levelled Abdallah Oubelaid’s impoverished village in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains.

Every day, he or other villagers come to inspect the debris. They hope to find pieces of wood for heating and cooking or even to recover objects of value that have so far escaped their searching, and all the while, a bitter Oubelaid wonders when he will get the government aid that he applied for.

“Every time I ask, they tell me it’s going to happen,” Oubelaid, 35, said. “But I have children to feed and to clothe.”

Moroccan authorities said about 3,000 people died during the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck on September 8, damaging more than 60,000 houses.

From Oubelaid’s village of Douzrou, about 80km (50 miles) southeast of Marrakesh, residents give a death toll of about 80.

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A pink and white mosque minaret stands out among the rubble of the village that clung to the mountainside.

The survivors, 150 families, found refuge a few kilometres away on rocky ground beside a road with a view of snow-capped mountains.

About 120 of them have received help from the government. They either got a 2,500-dirham ($250) monthly stipend or 20,000 dirhams ($1,990) for reconstruction.

The rest, like Oubelaid, said they don’t know why they received nothing.

By the end of January, the Moroccan government said about 57,600 families had received the monthly stipend and more than 44,000 households obtained the reconstruction aid.

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Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said the government “sets itself the challenge of responding to the expectation of the local population with promptness and efficiency”.

Yet some remain desperate for help.

Local media said hundreds of people from areas south of Marrakesh in Taroudant province and the town of Talat Nyacoub have demonstrated since January against the delayed payments and reconstruction aid during difficult winter conditions.

Last month, a left-wing member of parliament, Fatima Tamni, said while questioning Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit that reconstruction efforts “remain immersed in obscurity and improvisation”.

She called on Laftit to take action, according to the Hespress news website.

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The Moroccan government said some applications were rejected because residents did not live in the affected areas at the time of the earthquake or because their homes were still inhabitable.

In larger towns like Amizmiz, workers and backhoes are busy.

Things seem to have returned to normal, even as families still live in dozens of yellow tents donated by authorities. Covered with tarpaulins for protection against the rain and mountain cold, the tents occupy every patch of empty land.

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Paris Saint-Germain wins the Champions League after penalty shootout victory against Arsenal

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Paris Saint-Germain won back-to-back Champions League titles after a 4–3 penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in Budapest. Following a 1–1 draw through extra time, Gabriel Magalhães missed the decisive spot kick to hand PSG the trophy.

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Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ Scares Up $38 Million on Friday, Already Shattering Record for A24’s Best Opening Weekend

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Box Office: ‘Backrooms’ Scares Up  Million on Friday, Already Shattering Record for A24’s Best Opening Weekend

Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms” has already shattered the record for A24’s best opening weekend.

Adapted from Parsons’ viral YouTube series, “Backrooms” earned $38 million domestic on Friday from 3,442 theaters, and is projected to gross $85 million to $90 million through the weekend. That’s more than triple the previous record holder, Alex Garland’s thriller “Civil War,” which earned $25.5 million in 2024 to claim the title of A24’s best debut.

“Backrooms” follows a small-town furniture store owner who discovers a portal to an otherworldly dimension in his showroom. Cast members include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass. James Wan, Shawn Levy and Osgood Perkins serve as producers. Chernin Entertainment was the co-studio and co-financier of “Backrooms.”

This weekend’s other newcomers include Nate Bargatze’s family comedy, “The Breadwinner,” and Focus Features’ war drama, “Pressure.” “The Breadwinner” fared the best of the two, grossing $2.75 million on Friday from 3,525 North American theaters for a fifth-place finish. By Sunday, it should make $7.5 million.

TriStar Pictures’ “The Breadwinner” follows Bargatze as a dad who is forced to take charge of his chaotic household when his wife leaves on a month long buiness trip. Other cast members include Mandy Moore, Stella Grace Fitzgerald, Birdie Borria, Charlotte Ann Tucker, Colin Jost and Zach Cherry.

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“Pressure” landed at No. 6 on Friday with $2.46 million domestic from 1,829 screens. It’s expected to pull in $5.4 million by the end of the weekend. The WWII thriller stars Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower, who must decide whether or not to launch D-Day in the face of brutal conditions. Other cast members include Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Damian Lewis and Tamsin Topolski.

Friday’s silver medal went to Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” which made $8.1 million on its third Friday in theaters. After a stellar $28 million over Memorial Day, the indie horror is expected to make another $28 million by Sunday. That’s a 19% uptick from the $22 million it earned over last weekend’s three-day frame.

“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” took third with just $6.5 million on its second Friday in North American cinemas, an 70% drop from its opening day. While initial projections saw the Lucasfilm western grossing $40 million by Sunday, that number now looks closer to $25 million, according to rival estimates. That figure would push the film’s domestic total to $136 million through two weekends.

Lionsgate’s “Michael” finished in fourth, adding $3.5 on Friday. It should collect $12.7 million by Sunday, which would bring its domestic earnings to $340 million in six weekends of release.

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Hamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists

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Hamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists

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Just before celebrations for Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday, began in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike hit a building in Gaza City, killing Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, according to Israeli officials and later confirmed by Hamas.

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Reports from regional media said members of Odeh’s family were also killed in the strike. Two hours later, Gaza’s markets were full.

Fox News Digital reviewed video filmed in Gaza showing crowded Eid streets, children shopping and families gathering, with little visible reaction to the killing of the Hamas commander Israel described as one of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. 

The contrast underscored what many Gazans and analysts describe as a growing disconnect between Hamas leaders and civilians exhausted by nearly three years of war, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry — figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants — and displaced most of Gaza’s population.

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza hours after Israel announced the killing of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza. (Jusoor News)

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Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of Jusoor News, told Fox News Digital the assassinations are creating “a clear vacuum” inside Hamas and weakening coordination between leaders in Gaza and abroad.

“With the deaths of its leaders and the collapse of strong centralized command, Hamas is turning into a smaller militia competing with other armed groups operating in Gaza,” Oueis said. “Hamas is now fighting for survival.”

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh, who had replaced senior commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad only days earlier, was “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.”

“Sooner or later, Israel will reach all of them,” Netanyahu and Katz said.

Palestinian Hamas terrorists stand guard in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 22, 2025, during the handover of hostages held since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as part of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap deal with Israel. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters)

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Inside Gaza, several residents interviewed by Jusoor News said they no longer viewed the deaths of Hamas leaders as personal losses.

“Of course we didn’t feel anything when Haddad, Sinwar, or others were killed,” one Gazan activist and former political prisoner told Jusoor News in an on-camera interview, speaking with his face blurred for safety reasons.

The activist was referring to Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas military commander Israel said it killed earlier in May, and Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader and chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, who was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza in October 2024.

“Ordinary people are the ones who paid the price, not the leaders who made reckless decisions without thinking,” the activist said.

“As a result, Gaza today is almost completely destroyed,” the activist said. “There are families who have lost everything, while the remaining leaders abroad and inside continue to gamble with our lives constantly.”

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GRASSROOTS PUSH FOR FREEDOM GROWS IN GAZA AS HAMAS TIGHTENS ITS DEADLY GRIP

Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza hours after Israel announced the killing of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza. (Credit: Jusoor News)

A Gaza-based journalist echoed the frustration. 

“When we heard about the killing of Izz al-Din Haddad or others, we were not affected,” the journalist said. “What is even more painful is that the children of the leaders live outside Gaza, in Turkey and Qatar, driving luxury cars and living comfortable lives, while people here have almost gone back to the Stone Age.”

Another Gaza journalist and human rights advocate told Jusoor Hamas had harmed Palestinians as much as Israelis. 

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“I do not see the deaths of the leaders as losses for the Palestinians, because we ordinary people are the ones who paid the price,” the advocate said. “Honestly, Hamas did not only hurt the Israelis — they hurt us as well.”

At the same time, Israeli analysts caution that the repeated assassinations do not necessarily mean Hamas is close to collapse.

Michael Milshtein, an expert on the Palestinian arena, told Fox News Digital that Hamas unquestionably has suffered severe damage since Oct. 7, 2023, particularly with the deaths of veteran commanders who helped build the organization’s military structure and doctrine.

ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS

Palestinians shop at a crowded Eid al-Adha market in Gaza. (Jusoor News)

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“Almost nobody remains from the core group that planned and led the October 7 attack,” he said.

But he noted that Odeh himself had been viewed largely as a second-tier figure before the war rather than an obvious successor to Hamas’ historic military leadership.

“The people replacing them are far less experienced, less capable and far less charismatic,” Milshtein said.

Still, he argued, Hamas continues to maintain functioning chains of command and ideological cohesion despite the losses.

“People know they are likely going to die, and they still compete for these leadership positions,” he said.

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The debate over Hamas’ future comes as international efforts to shape a postwar political framework for Gaza accelerate.

TRUMP-BACKED BOARD OF PEACE, ISRAEL ‘WILL TAKE ACTION’ IF HAMAS REMAINS OUT OF COMPLIANCE: NETANYAHU ADVISOR

Hamas militants carried coffins believed to contain the bodies of four Israeli hostages during a handover to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Feb. 20, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed High Representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace initiative, published the core elements of a proposed 15-point “Roadmap to Complete the Implementation of President Trump’s Gaza Comprehensive Peace Plan.”

The proposal includes a phased Hamas disarmament process, internationally supervised security reforms and the establishment of “one authority, one law, one weapon” inside Gaza.

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“Gaza cannot recover while armed groups simultaneously operate as governing authorities,” Mladenov wrote while outlining the proposal on social media.

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Displaced Palestinians, including families and children, wait in line to receive hot meals distributed by charities ahead of iftar in Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu)

For many Gazans exhausted by years of war, displacement and destruction, the deaths of Hamas leaders now appear to carry less emotional weight than the hope that the conflict itself could finally end.

“Gaza cannot remain hostage to the idea of permanent war while civilians alone pay the entire price,” one activist said.

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