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Israel Aerospace Industries Signs $1 Billion Deal With Morocco as Abraham Accords Remain Resilient Amid Gaza War
A view of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Center in Singapore, Feb. 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su
Morocco has struck a $1 billion deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to acquire an intelligence spy satellite from the Israeli defense company, Moroccan and other media reported this week, underscoring the strength of the Abraham Accords even in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The deal, which was reportedly finalized at the end of last year and signed earlier this week, will improve Morocco’s military defense capabilities. The satellite is expected to be delivered within five years and replace the Mohammed VI-A and Mohammed VI-B satellites currently used by Morocco.
Defense and economic cooperation between Israel and Morocco began in 2020 as a part of the Abraham Accords, which were a series of historic, US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several countries in the Arab world. Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates also normalized relations with the Jewish state.
Prior to 2020, Egypt and Jordan were the only Arab countries to have peace agreements in place with Israel. Normalization expanded due to the belief that common economic, diplomatic, and security interests could become more important in Israeli-Arab relations than Israel’s political and territorial conflict with the Palestinians.
After the Israel-Hamas war began in October, however, analysts questioned whether the heightened regional tensions would cause the normalization agreements previously made to bend or break. While there has been some tension, they have remained intact, as evidenced by Israel and Morocco’s latest deal.
There have been other showings of significant cooperation even after the war erupted.
On Oct. 8, for example, the United Arab Emirates called Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel a “serious and grave escalation.” It said it was “appalled” by the fact Hamas that took hostages.
Then, more substantively, when Israel was attacked by Iran with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles, a coalition of Arab countries helped Israel defend itself. Some countries that helped, such as Jordan, have a peace agreement with Israel but are not part of the Abraham Accords. Others, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, do not have normalized relations with Israel but aided in their defense anyway for the stabilization of the region. The United Arab Emirates also reportedly helped defend Israel against Iran’s attack.
A Hamas official suggested in an interview with Lebanon’s Annahar newspaper last month that the Palestinian terrorist group launched its Oct. 7 invasion in part t prevent Saudi Arabia from normalizing relations with Israel.
Before Oct. 7, the prospect of reaching a historic peace deal between the two longtime foes appeared possible. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said in an interview in September, weeks before the onslaught and ensuing war in Hamas-ruled Gaza, that “every day we get closer” to a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. As part of the process, Bin Salman hoped to “ease the life of the Palestinians” and seemed willing to shelve the issue of Palestinian statehood in favor of an agreement with the US on the use of nuclear material and a weapons deal.
While such conversations have reportedly resumed in recent weeks, Saudi officials have said a normalization deal must now include an “irreversible path” to Palestinian statehood, fearing backlash. According to reports, Bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, fears being branded a “traitor” to the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, potentially undermining the kingdom’s legitimacy as the leader of the Islamic world.
Many analysts have argued that Iran, which backs Hamas and is its chief international sponsor, intentionally torpedoed the Israel-Saudi normalization process with the Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.
Nonetheless, in recent weeks, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly said they are willing to participate in a security force in a post-war Gaza. At the same time, for this to happen, certain conditions — such as a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave — would have to be met.
The post Israel Aerospace Industries Signs $1 Billion Deal With Morocco as Abraham Accords Remain Resilient Amid Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.
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Israel Aerospace Industries Signs $1 Billion Deal With Morocco as Abraham Accords Remain Resilient Amid Gaza War
A view of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Center in Singapore, Feb. 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su
Morocco has struck a $1 billion deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to acquire an intelligence spy satellite from the Israeli defense company, Moroccan and other media reported this week, underscoring the strength of the Abraham Accords even in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The deal, which was reportedly finalized at the end of last year and signed earlier this week, will improve Morocco’s military defense capabilities. The satellite is expected to be delivered within five years and replace the Mohammed VI-A and Mohammed VI-B satellites currently used by Morocco.
Defense and economic cooperation between Israel and Morocco began in 2020 as a part of the Abraham Accords, which were a series of historic, US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several countries in the Arab world. Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates also normalized relations with the Jewish state.
Prior to 2020, Egypt and Jordan were the only Arab countries to have peace agreements in place with Israel. Normalization expanded due to the belief that common economic, diplomatic, and security interests could become more important in Israeli-Arab relations than Israel’s political and territorial conflict with the Palestinians.
After the Israel-Hamas war began in October, however, analysts questioned whether the heightened regional tensions would cause the normalization agreements previously made to bend or break. While there has been some tension, they have remained intact, as evidenced by Israel and Morocco’s latest deal.
There have been other showings of significant cooperation even after the war erupted.
On Oct. 8, for example, the United Arab Emirates called Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel a “serious and grave escalation.” It said it was “appalled” by the fact Hamas that took hostages.
Then, more substantively, when Israel was attacked by Iran with hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles, a coalition of Arab countries helped Israel defend itself. Some countries that helped, such as Jordan, have a peace agreement with Israel but are not part of the Abraham Accords. Others, such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, do not have normalized relations with Israel but aided in their defense anyway for the stabilization of the region. The United Arab Emirates also reportedly helped defend Israel against Iran’s attack.
A Hamas official suggested in an interview with Lebanon’s Annahar newspaper last month that the Palestinian terrorist group launched its Oct. 7 invasion in part t prevent Saudi Arabia from normalizing relations with Israel.
Before Oct. 7, the prospect of reaching a historic peace deal between the two longtime foes appeared possible. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said in an interview in September, weeks before the onslaught and ensuing war in Hamas-ruled Gaza, that “every day we get closer” to a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. As part of the process, Bin Salman hoped to “ease the life of the Palestinians” and seemed willing to shelve the issue of Palestinian statehood in favor of an agreement with the US on the use of nuclear material and a weapons deal.
While such conversations have reportedly resumed in recent weeks, Saudi officials have said a normalization deal must now include an “irreversible path” to Palestinian statehood, fearing backlash. According to reports, Bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, fears being branded a “traitor” to the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, potentially undermining the kingdom’s legitimacy as the leader of the Islamic world.
Many analysts have argued that Iran, which backs Hamas and is its chief international sponsor, intentionally torpedoed the Israel-Saudi normalization process with the Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.
Nonetheless, in recent weeks, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly said they are willing to participate in a security force in a post-war Gaza. At the same time, for this to happen, certain conditions — such as a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave — would have to be met.
The post Israel Aerospace Industries Signs $1 Billion Deal With Morocco as Abraham Accords Remain Resilient Amid Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.