Spain has begun installing a floating sea barrier along part of its maritime border with Morocco as the North African enclave of Ceuta gradually returns to normality following last week’s unprecedented mass arrival of migrants that left at least 72 people dead.
Authorities said the vast majority of the estimated 50,000 migrants who entered Ceuta by land and sea on Thursday and Friday have now returned voluntarily to Morocco, with fewer than 2,000 believed to remain in the Spanish territory. Officials said overnight attempts to cross into Ceuta had virtually stopped, although reinforced police and military deployments will remain in place while the situation continues to be monitored.
Spanish authorities now say 72 people lost their lives attempting to reach Ceuta. Many drowned while trying to swim around coastal defences, while others were crushed during desperate attempts to climb the Tarajal breakwater and border fencing
Hundreds of migrants continued making their way back into Morocco on Saturday, many carrying few belongings and showing signs of exhaustion after spending days in Ceuta. Several told Spanish media they had been forced to sleep in woodland areas because they could not find shelter, while shortages of food had led to fights among those who remained.
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Spanish actor Javier Bardem has come under fire after sharing a social media post claiming that Israel stands to benefit from Spain’s ongoing migrant crisis, prompting criticism from public figures, including the US Ambassador to Israel.
The controversy follows a sharp increase in illegal migration into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, which borders Morocco.
Bardem, a long-time critic of Israel and supporter of the Palestinian cause, shared a post suggesting that Spain’s outspoken criticism of Israel has made it a target. The post argued that although it is unclear who “engineered” the migration crisis, “we know who benefits from a weakened, destabilised Spain: Israel, and the Western far right eager to turn migration into a weapon against Muslims.”
The post further claimed that Spain has become “Europe’s loudest voice” against what it described as Israeli and US “war crimes” in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, and asserted that the migration crisis was intended to punish the Spanish government for its stance against Israel.
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Heated debate has erupted in Spain over the cost of fighting wildfires. Since 2009, investment in prevention has actually been declining — even though the number and scale of wildfires have reached alarming levels over the past decade.
According to official figures, spending on wildfire prevention in Spain fell from €364 million in 2009 to €144 million in 2024. Over the same period, annual spending on actually fighting and extinguishing fires remained stable at around €417 million.
The Spanish forestry services company Forescat has estimated that fighting and extinguishing wildfires costs around €19,000 per hectare. Nearly 400,000 hectares of forest went up in flames in Spain in 2025, amounting to costs of around €7.6 billion.
…and that’s your Spanish News – from Giles Brown