Hundreds of migrants have been swimming from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days, overwhelming border authorities and pushing reception facilities beyond their capacity.

Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said more than 1,500 migrants, including adults and minors, had reached the territory by sea in recent days. The scale of arrivals has created an exceptional situation for the small Spanish enclave on Africa’s northern coast.

“Reception centres are collapsed and saturated,” Vivas told reporters, calling for additional support as authorities struggle to accommodate the new arrivals.

Spanish Civil Guard units, Maritime Rescue teams and the Red Cross have been using boats to assist migrants in the water and bring them safely to Ceuta. With reception facilities full, hundreds of people have been sleeping outside the main migrant centre.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska acknowledged that authorities were facing an “extraordinary, exceptional situation” but said the government was responding with resources already permanently deployed in Ceuta. He also praised Morocco for its cooperation in attempting to prevent irregular departures.

Most of those making the crossing are believed to be Moroccan nationals, along with some Algerians who had been living in Morocco while seeking a route into Europe, according to activists and local organisations.

The reason behind the sudden rise in crossings remains unclear. Summer weather often leads to an increase in attempts to reach Ceuta by sea, but local officials consider the current numbers unusually high.

The route is dangerous. Several migrants have died or gone missing during recent attempts to swim around the border barrier separating Morocco and Ceuta. Local reports said at least four people died in one recent incident, while others were feared missing.

The latest arrivals have also drawn attention to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling issued in July. The court ruled that migrants arriving by sea cannot be subjected to immediate returns to Morocco without the legal procedures and safeguards required under Spanish law. The ruling distinguishes sea arrivals from people intercepted after crossing land barriers.

Vivas criticised the decision, arguing that it could make the maritime route more attractive. Some migration activists have questioned that explanation, saying most migrants would be unlikely to know about a recent court ruling.

Omar Naji, president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights in Eastern Morocco, linked the timing of the influx to wider diplomatic developments involving Spain, Morocco and Algeria. He compared the situation with the major Ceuta migration crisis of May 2021, when thousands crossed into the enclave within days.

The latest surge has placed fresh pressure on Spanish authorities and raised concerns over accommodation, rescue operations and the safety of migrants attempting the perilous sea crossing.

A chickenpox outbreak is spreading rapidly through displacement camps in Gaza, with around 9,300 cases recorded across more than 130 health facilities in just two weeks.

Doctors and health workers say the actual number of infections is likely much higher because many patients are treated in tents or local clinics and never reach hospitals. The UN health cluster attributed the rise to severe overcrowding, high summer temperatures and worsening access to clean water.

More than half of the reported cases were recorded in Khan Younis governorate. Health teams also registered more than 18,000 new cases of infectious skin diseases across Gaza during the same week, including scabies, head lice and impetigo.

Isolation, which is recommended for children with chickenpox, is nearly impossible in many displacement camps. Families of six or more often live together in tents measuring only a few square metres, while in some locations multiple families share a single tent.

Hamada Abu Ghali, who is displaced in Nuseirat, said doctors told his daughter to stay apart from other family members after she was diagnosed with chickenpox. But the family had no space to follow the advice.

“Before the war we had a house and rooms, but today all of us are in one tent,” he said.

Ahmed Abu Hussein, displaced in Deir al-Balah, said children continued to play together because families could not keep them inside cramped shelters.

“We can’t control them or keep them inside the tent, so the infection ends up spreading to the whole family,” he said.

At Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, paediatric consultant Dr Sharif Mattar said official figures probably represented only a fraction of the outbreak. Many children are treated in displacement sites and primary healthcare centres, leaving their cases out of hospital statistics.

Nurse Sheimaa Hajji said health centres were seeing more children with widespread rashes. Treatment has largely focused on easing itching and preventing secondary bacterial infections, but supplies are running short.

The outbreak is being worsened by a vaccination crisis. Bassam Zaqout, director of Medical Relief in Gaza, said thousands of children born during the war had been unable to complete routine vaccination schedules. Restrictions on vaccine deliveries have also limited efforts to improve community protection.

Health officials have warned that chickenpox can pose additional risks to pregnant women, while maternity services in Gaza remain severely limited.

The World Health Organisation said the health system continues to operate with restricted capacity because of damaged facilities, shortages of medicines and a lack of medical staff.

UN field teams have also reported unsafe water supplies and sewage flowing around displacement sites.

The UN health cluster has increased the distribution of fever medicines, anti-itch treatments and antibiotics for bacterial complications. Health education teams have also been deployed.

Aid agencies warn that these efforts will not be enough without a major increase in medical supplies, clean water and hygiene materials reaching Gaza.