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On the drought-stricken plains of Morocco’s Chtouka region, cherry tomato farms stretch as far as the eye can see, clinging to life through a single, environmentally contentious lifeline: desalination.”We wouldn’t be here without it,” said Abir Lemseffer, who manages production for the tomato giant Azura.Severe drought driven by climate change has gripped the North African country since 2018, leaving Azura’s 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of farms entirely dependent on desalinated water.But the technology comes at a high cost — both financially and environmentally.It is energy-intensive, and in a country where more than half of the electricity still comes from coal, it carries a heavy carbon footprint.Since 2022, Morocco’s largest desalination plant, located nearby, has been producing 125,000 cubic metres (4.4 million cubic feet) of water a day.The supply irrigates 12,000 hectares of farmland and provides drinking water for 1.6 million people in Agadir and surrounding areas, said Ayoub Ramdi of the regional agricultural development office.By the end of 2026, officials hope to boost production to 400,000 cubic metres of water, half of which would be designated for agriculture.Without that water, “a catastrophic scenario would loom over Morocco”, said Rqia Bourziza, an agronomist.Agriculture, which contributes about 12 percent to Morocco’s overall economy, has been badly hit by six consecutive years of drought — prompting the country to go all-in on desalination.Across Morocco, there are 16 plants capable of producing 270 million cubic metres of water per year, with a target of reaching 1.7 billion cubic metres by 2030.- Pricey water -While around 1,500 farmers in the Agadir region make use of the water provided by the plant, others don’t because it’s simply too expensive.Among them is Hassan, who grows courgettes and peppers on half a hectare of land and uses water from a well shared with 60 other farmers.”I can’t afford to use that water,” he said, declining to give his full name.Desalinated water is sold at $0.56 per cubic metre, excluding taxes, compared with $0.11 per cubic metre for conventional water.That hefty price tag comes despite a 40 percent subsidy from public coffers.Ali Hatimy, another agronomist, said “the cost of desalinated water significantly reduces the range of potential crops because only very high-value-added crops can offset it”.Bourziza insisted that desalination was “a very good alternative” but only for high-value crops such as tomatoes and orchard fruits.Beyond the financial cost, desalination also exerts an environmental cost, said Hatimy.”The production of desalinated water requires tremendous amounts of electrical energy and brine discharges impact marine ecosystems,” he said.Highly concentrated brine is a byproduct of the desalination process.Ramdi, from the agricultural development office, said that “no impact” had been observed in the waters around Agadir, adding that the brine was diluted before its release.While Morocco has a growing share of renewable energy, 62 percent of its electricity came from coal in 2023 and 14 percent from oil and gas, according to the International Energy Agency.- Insufficient groundwater -The stakes in the wider region of Souss-Massa, which accounts for 85 percent of Morocco’s fruit and vegetable exports, are high.Nearly two million tonnes are produced each year, with a turnover of $1.1 billion.Ramdi said the desalination plant had thus helped to protect $1 billion of revenue a year and more than a million jobs.”Desalination has saved agriculture in Chtouka,” said Mohamed Boumarg, walking through one of his tomato greenhouses.”Before, I only cultivated five hectares because I was constrained by the amount of water I had. Groundwater was not sufficient,” said the 38-year-old farmer who now grows 20 hectares of tomatoes, with 60 percent of his crop marked for export.”Our survival depends on it,” said Lemseffer of Azura. “Either we accept sacrificing some of our margin by using desalinated water, or we close up shop.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to eradicate Hamas, even as the Palestinian militant group said it was discussing new proposals from mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza.The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump’s claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas in the war-ravaged territory.But a week ahead of talks scheduled with Trump in Washington, he vowed to “destroy” Hamas “down to their very foundation”.Hamas said it was “conducting national consultations to discuss” the proposals submitted in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt.Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.The civil defence agency said that Israeli forces had killed at least 47 people on Wednesday.Among the dead was Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, a key clinic in the north of Gaza, Palestinian officials said.Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying that Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.Hamas said in a statement that it was studying the latest proposals and aiming “to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip”.Netanyahu vowed however: “We will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more,” in filmed comments in the city of Ashkelon near Gaza’s northern border.- Hostage release drive -Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar earlier said that he saw “some positive signs”, amid high pressure to bring home the hostages.”We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire,” he said. “Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible.”Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.A Palestinian source familiar with the mediated negotiations told AFP that “there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal” under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.The source said that the new proposal “includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees”.- Israeli air strikes -In southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.”They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed. What did they do?” said one resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: “Children, children!”Among other fatalities, Bassal later reported five people killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.They were the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people trying to receive food.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.- Evacuation order -Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it “is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities” in line with “international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.It said in a statement that a 19-year-old sergeant in its forces “fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip”.The military late on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation warning to residents for three neighbourhoods of Gaza City, urging them to flee south to the Mawasi area.Israeli forces are “operating with extreme intensity in the area and will attack any location being used to launch missiles towards the State of Israel”, Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a message on Telegram.”The destruction of terrorist organisations will continue and expand into the city centre, encompassing all neighbourhoods of the city,” Avichay wrote.The military earlier said that its air force had intercepted two “projectiles” that crossed from northern Gaza into Israeli territory.Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.