Some 1,400 Palestinians crossed into Gaza on Friday after Israel reopened a border terminal with Egypt, ending a three-week closure that had left hundreds of stranded travelers sleeping on the ground near the desert post.
The Rafah terminal is the only crossing for Palestinian travelers in and out of Gaza, and the closure came during the peak summer season.
Also, a top aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned of increased threats against Sharon.
"There has been a sharp increase in the level of threats against the prime minister," said Dov Weisglass, Sharon's bureau chief, in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 TV -- excerpts of which were aired on Friday.
Weisglass did not name the source of the threats, but in recent weeks security officials have warned that Sharon could be a target of right-wing extremists who oppose his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.
In 1995 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to a land-for-peace deal with the Palestinians. Palestinian militants have also vowed to strike at Israeli leaders to avenge Israel's killing of militant leaders.
Israel shut down the Rafah terminal July 18, saying it had intelligence information that Palestinian militants had dug a tunnel under the crossing or a nearby Israeli army outpost and were planning to blow it up. Militants have dug tunnels in the past to carry out attacks, including a deadly explosion at a Gaza army base this year.
Soldiers searched the area during the closure, but the military refused to say on Friday if anything suspicious was found.
During the closure, some 1,500 Palestinians waited near the terminal, while some 3,000 others stayed with relatives in Egypt or at hotels, said Salim Abu Safia, the Palestinian director of the Gaza crossing.
According to Abu Safia, 1,400 people managed to cross Friday.
For many, the crossing was an emotional moment, bringing an end to an ordeal that saw them dependent on aid from charity organizations. Earlier in the week, Egypt warned of an impending humanitarian crisis.
With tears streaming down her face, Nihad Abu Jazar, 22, a third-year student at Cairo University, ran into the arms of her waiting relatives.
The travelers had spent the first week sleeping on the ground, Abu Jazar said. Later, Egyptians authorities and aid groups brought basic supplies, including mattresses. But there were not enough toilets, and people were forced to stand for hours waiting to use the bathroom.
She said she had thought about returning to Cairo. "But every time I convinced myself that they might open any time and to be honest I don't have enough money. My father is unemployed," Abu Jazar said.
Israel had offered to open an alternate crossing, but Egypt and the Palestinian Authority rejected the proposal as a violation of existing border agreements.
The closure disrupted the travel plans of thousands of Palestinians. TheWeb site of the Israeli daily Haaretz said the crossing was reopened under US pressure.
Abu Safia said two more days were needed to allow all those who had been stranded to cross back.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned