Iraqi authorities on Monday launched a probe into a mass die-off of fish in the southern marshlands, the latest in a string of such events in recent years.

One possible cause for the localised die-off could be a shortage of oxygen sparked by low water flow, increased evaporation and rising temperatures fuelled by climate change.

Another possible reason could be chemicals used by fishermen to make it easier to catch their prey, local officials and activists told AFP.

More than a million Muslim pilgrims poured into the holy city of Mecca ahead of the annual hajj, with authorities vowing to hold a safer pilgrimage amid searing desert heat and a massive crackdown on illegal visitors.

Officials have beefed up heat mitigation measures hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's hajj, which saw 1,301 pilgrims die as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit).

Temperatures were forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius this week as one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings starts on Wednesday.

A man yelling "free Palestine" used incendiary devices to torch protesters rallying in support of Israeli hostages, injuring at least eight people in the US state of Colorado on Sunday.

The FBI said it was investigating the incident as a "targeted terror attack" and identified the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman.

He was booked into the county jail just before midnight on multiple felony charges, according to county records. His bond has been set at $10 million.

British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday that Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory of Western Sahara was the "most credible" solution to the decades-long dispute, reversing London's long-standing position.

Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed in its entirety for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which is backed by Algeria.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 Palestinians near a US-backed aid distribution site on Sunday, with both the group in charge of the site and the military denying any such incident took place.

Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months.

Hamas announced on Saturday that it had replied to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal, but Washington's main negotiator criticised the response as "totally unacceptable".

The Palestinian militant group said its response was positive while emphasising the need for a permanent ceasefire -- long a sticking point for Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed US envoy Steve Witkoff's assessment that the response was "unacceptable", accusing Hamas of clinging "to its rejectionism".

The foreign ministers of several Arab countries, who had planned to visit the occupied West Bank this weekend, condemned on Saturday Israel's decision to block their trip.

The ministers condemned "Israel's decision to ban the delegation's visit to Ramallah (on Sunday) to meet with the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmud Abbas", the Jordanian foreign ministry said.

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain had been expected to take part alongside the secretary-general of the Arab League, according to the statement.

Iran has ramped up production of highly enriched uranium, according to a confidential UN watchdog report, as Tehran said Saturday that it had received US proposals to settle its long-running nuclear dispute with the West.

Iran rejected the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the latest move in years-long efforts to restrict its nuclear activities over fears that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

An unseasonal rainstorm battered the Egyptian city of Alexandria on Saturday, flooding roads and damaging seafront businesses in the latest bout of erratic weather to hit the region.

Hailstones pelted the city overnight, forcing people to flee cafes as gusts of wind blew the ice pellets through windows, according to footage posted on social media.

Lightning lit up the skies and underpasses were submerged.

Alexandria governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan raised the alert level and emergency crews worked through the morning to tow cars and clear debris.

In a small village on the coast of southern Morocco, women gather in a house to create collaborative works of textile art, and also earn a living.

Several hunch over large canvasses, embroidering their latest piece at the women-only workshop, in the village of 400 people. Some of their works have been shown internationally.

"This project has changed my life," said Hanane Ichbikili, a 28-year-old former nursing student turned project creative director.

"And yet I had never held an embroidery needle before," she told AFP.