Morocco bid to free Rayan, 5, from well reaches nerve-wracking final stages

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Updated 06 February 2022
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Morocco bid to free Rayan, 5, from well reaches nerve-wracking final stages

  • Little Rayan fell down the well on Tuesday evening
  • As rescuers dig, Rayan is being supplied with food and oxygen

DUBAI: Moroccan rescuers were only meters away Saturday in their nerve-wracking but increasingly urgent effort to rescue Rayan, a five-year-old boy trapped underground whom they hope to find alive.

For five days the complex and risky earth-moving operation has gripped residents of the North African kingdom and even sparked sympathy in neighboring Algeria, a regional rival.

Abdelhadi Tamrani, an official in charge of the operation, said he had “big hopes” of pulling the boy out alive from the well.

But the more time that passes, the more fears arise over his condition.

Rayan accidentally fell about 32 meters (35 yards) down the tight, empty shaft near his home in the remote village of Ighrane in Chefchaouen province on Tuesday afternoon.




Moroccan authorities and Moroccan civil defense members work to rescue five-year-old child Rayan trapped in a deep well for over two days in the northern province of Chefchaouen near Bab Berred on February 3, 2022. (File/AFP)

Rescue crews, using bulldozers and front-end loaders, excavated the surrounding red earth down to the level where the boy is trapped and are now digging horizontally toward him.

They face a risk of landslides, and on Saturday they had to maneuver around a large rock.

In darkness, crews moved a heavy pipe into position in the area. One rescuer lugged what appeared to be a jackhammer.

“We’re almost there,” said one of the operation’s leaders, Abdesalam Makoudi, adding “tiredness is kicking in, but the whole rescue team is hanging on.”




Little Rayan fell down the well on Tuesday evening. (Twitter user)

According to Al Arabiya news channel the only way to reach the boy is by digging a hole and pulling him from the opposite side of the well through which he fell.  

Abdel Hadi Tamrani, head of Civil Protection on site, told Arab News that due to the crumbling of the earth around the shaft, teams are forced to take a break from time to time.

“The more we dig the greater the risk of crumbling, so to ensure the safety of the excavator operators, we have to take breaks at times,” he said.

“It is a very sensitive operation, we are in the process of securing the lower part of the cavity before sending a special team which will aim to dig a hole about 4 meters horizontally, to reach the location where Rayan is.

“The main challenge we have now is not to put the lives of our teams at risk.”




Teams using machinery to excavate the ground in order to free the boy. (Reuters via Al3omk.com)

When asked about his condition, Tamrani said Rayan was not eatring or drinking and might have fallen into a coma, but “still had hope he is alive,” adding that a Royal Armed Forces helicopter was available to transport the child as quickly as possible to the nearest medical unit.

Recalling the events of Tuesday evening, Rayan’s mother told local media she had looked for him everywhere after his disappearance. 

“When I did not find him, I understood that he had fallen into the well located near the house,” she said.

The young child's father told Al-Arabiya that the last time he saw Rayan through surveillance cameras was Thursday afternoon.

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People have taken to social media platforms expressing their support.

Moroccan footballer and PSG star Achraf Hakimi posted his support, alongside emojis of a broken heart and hands together in prayer.

“I want everyone to pray for this little five-year-old boy who fell into a very deep well and is still fighting to stay alive for 48 hours. Our heart is with him,” a twitter user said.

Another twitter user said: “Don’t worry Rayan. Angels is with you and Allah with you and all the world is with you. We love you we waiting to see you.”

Rescue worker Imad Fahmi told local media that he was able to go down 25 meters into the well but could not continue. 

“As for little Ryan, I tried to talk to him to get his reaction, but I only heard his breathing and his cries of distress, as if he was suffering from an injury. He was 10-12 meters from me, but the space was very tight. I tried to dig with my feet to reach it, but to no avail. At one point I couldn’t go any further,” he added.

Lead rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimeters.

Baitas said the nature of the soil meant it was too dangerous to try to widen the hole, meaning major excavations around it were the only solution.


Jordanian king chairs security meeting, affirms national unity amid regional tensions

Updated 11 sec ago
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Jordanian king chairs security meeting, affirms national unity amid regional tensions

  • King Abdullah II said that Jordan will not permit any party to exploit regional tensions to undermine the country’s firm stance on key Arab issues
  • The Iran-Israel conflict has escalated following US strikes on Sunday, as Tel Aviv and Tehran exchanged attacks for the 10th day

LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan chaired a meeting on Sunday with officials and security agencies to emphasize national unity in the face of regional developments.

King Abdullah urged government institutions to tackle the economic effects of escalating tensions in the Middle East during the meeting at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman.

He said that Jordan will not permit any party to exploit regional tensions to undermine the country’s firm stance on key Arab issues. He said that Amman is committed to achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Petra news agency reported.

He called for increased international efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region and to de-escalate tensions through diplomatic dialogue and negotiations, Petra added.

The Iran-Israel conflict has escalated following US strikes on three nuclear sites inside Iran on Sunday morning. Tel Aviv and Tehran have exchanged attacks over the past 10 days, risking a full-scale war in the Middle East.

The meeting was attended by several key figures, including Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Speaker of the House of Representatives Ahmad Safadi, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni, and Public Security Directorate Director Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Maaytah.


Blast rocks church in Syria’s Damascus, witnesses say

Updated 5 min 53 sec ago
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Blast rocks church in Syria’s Damascus, witnesses say

DAMASCUS: A blast rocked the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria’s capital Damascus on Sunday, according to witnesses.
One told Reuters a suicide bomber detonated himself inside the church. A spokesperson for Damascus security forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Israeli authorities arrest four Al-Aqsa guards, storm old prayer hall

Updated 22 June 2025
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Israeli authorities arrest four Al-Aqsa guards, storm old prayer hall

  • Israeli forces storm prayer hall beneath the Qibli Mosque, damaging its contents
  • Jerusalem Governorate says action is part of efforts to assert control over the mosque’s administration and undermine the Waqf authority

LONDON: Israeli authorities arrested four guards at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during a search raid on Saturday night inside the compound’s old prayer hall.

The Jerusalem Governorate, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, said that the detainees were identified as Mohammad Arbash, Ramzi Al-Zaanin, Basem Abu Juma, and Iyad Odeh. Several other guards and a firefighter in the compound were interrogated at the site by Israelis, the Wafa news agency reported.

Just after midnight on Saturday, Israeli forces stormed the old prayer hall at Al-Aqsa, a subterranean area beneath the Qibli Mosque, damaging its contents after breaking into storage cabinets and searching the premises, Wafa added.

The governorate said the latest Israeli action was part of efforts to assert control over the mosque’s administration and undermine the authority of the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.

After less than a week of complete closure under a state of emergency linked to the ongoing war with Iran, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was reopened by Israeli authorities, allowing Palestinian and other Muslim worshippers to enter the site under strict regulations, Wafa reported.


Palestinian Authority considers phasing out shekel as Israeli banks refuse to accept surplus

Updated 22 June 2025
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Palestinian Authority considers phasing out shekel as Israeli banks refuse to accept surplus

  • Israeli banks’ refusal to accept the transfer of surplus shekels means fewer foreign currencies that are necessary for commerce and business
  • Israel’s finance minister in June ended a waiver that allowed Israeli banks to engage with Palestinian ones without being scrutinized for money laundering and financing extremism

LONDON: The Palestinian Authority is considering replacing the Israeli shekel as the primary currency in circulation due to its increasing accumulation in the banks.

The Palestine Monetary Authority announced on Sunday that it has taken significant steps to address the growing accumulation of shekels in Palestinian banks after Israeli banks’ continuing refusal to accept the transfer of surplus shekels in exchange for foreign currencies necessary for commerce and business.

The PMA is considering alternative options, including a shift away from using the shekel as the primary currency in circulation, the Wafa news agency reported.

In early June, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ended a waiver that allowed Israeli banks to engage with Palestinian banks without being scrutinized for money laundering and financing extremism.

Smotrich, who has been outspoken about weakening the Palestinian Authority and opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, made this decision shortly after being sanctioned by the UK and four European countries for inciting violence in the occupied West Bank.

The PMA said it aims to create a more resilient and sustainable digital economy in Palestine and has consulted various economic sectors and the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture before it makes a final decision. Alongside phasing out the Israeli shekel, the PMA studied digital payment strategies to avoid shekel accumulation in Palestinian banks, Wafa reported.


How many hostages are left in Gaza?

Updated 22 June 2025
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How many hostages are left in Gaza?

  • 50 hostages remain in captivity
  • PM Netanyahu said Israel is committed to returning the remaining hostages even as it wages a new military campaign against Iran

Israel said Sunday that it has recovered the bodies of three more hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the ongoing 20-month war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military identified them as Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were killed during the initial attack and their bodies were taken into Gaza. Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son’s remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan’s 23rd birthday.
The military did not provide details about the operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is committed to returning the remaining hostages even as it wages a new military campaign against Iran.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. More than 55,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Here are details on the hostages:
Total hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023: 251
Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 4, including 2 who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of 2 soldiers killed in the 2014 war
Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom 8 were dead
Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 49
Hostages rescued alive: 8
Hostages still in captivity: 50, of whom Israel believes 27 are dead. Netanyahu has said there are “doubts” about the fate of several more.
The hostages in captivity include four non-Israelis: 2 Thais and 1 Tanzanian who have been confirmed dead, and a Nepalese captive.