Israel Reopens Gaza Border Crossing

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Israel reopening its border with Gaza, Taiwan’s submarine efforts to counter China, and Burkina Faso’s failed coup attempt.

After almost two weeks of border closures, Israel reopened its Erez Crossing with Gaza on Thursday. The move comes amid weeks of violent protests along the northern border’s fence, with Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers clashing. According to Palestinian protest organizers, daily demonstrations will be suspended following the border reopening.

Mass protests supported by Hamas, which controls Gaza, have rocked the area this month, leading to Israeli authorities closing the border. The protests focused on Israeli violence against Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, as well as the long-running blockade of Gaza. At least seven people have been killed and dozens more wounded in the fighting. Palestinians say the border closures violate their right to freedom of movement.

Around 18,000 Gazans have permits to work in Israel and the West Bank, generating around $2 million a day. In August 2022, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid reopened border crossings in a policy pivot after nearly two decades of closed borders. Hamas wants Israel to increase the number of Gazans allowed to work across the border to 20,000; around two-thirds of Gazans are unemployed, one of the highest rates in the world.

Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations helped mediate Thursday’s border decision, but all three entities have faced backlash from Palestinian officials. Egypt has long helped Israel block goods from entering Gaza, citing security concerns with Hamas rule. Hamas has accused Qatar of failing to provide the full sum of aid it promised to Gaza. And the United Nations has repeatedly been accused of siding with Israeli officials despite condemning Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians.

Beginning with the Great March of Return in 2018, when more than 200 Palestinians were killed during a series of border demonstrations, protests have escalated tensions between Israel and Gaza. Although local officials predict a two-week reprieve from fighting, Palestinians worry that reopening Erez Crossing is like applying a Band-Aid to a gunshot wound; a total end to violence is still far off in the distance.

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Taiwan’s new submarine. Say hello to the Narwhal, Taiwan’s first domestically produced submarine. Taipei unveiled the first of eight such vessels on Thursday as part of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s goal of countering Chinese aggression and asserting the self-ruled island’s sovereignty. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory. If initial tests are successful, the Narwhal will begin service in the next few years.

Beijing has increased military activity around Taiwan in recent months, with its armed forces now launching almost daily military exercises in the Taiwan Strait. “Even if there are risks, and no matter how many challenges there are, Taiwan must take this step and allow the self-reliant national defense policy to grow and flourish on our land,” Tsai said.

Déjà coup? Burkina Faso’s ruling junta thwarted a coup attempt from within the military on Tuesday, government officials said on Wednesday. Numerous suspects, including at least four officers, have been arrested for alleged involvement in the insurrection. Burkina Faso also suspended Jeune Afrique, an independent magazine, after accusing it of discrediting the country’s military.

Burkina Faso has a long history of coups. In 2022, the country faced two insurrections, with the second allowing Capt. Ibrahim Traoré to seize power. Since then, it has also supported coups in other African countries, including the military coup in Niger in July. Burkina Faso’s junta continues to promise that elections will be held next year.

You shall not pass. Germany increased border protections on Wednesday in what it says is an effort to crack down on human trafficking operations. Effective immediately, additional border checks will be added to known smuggling routes connecting Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic. This will be Germany’s first stationary border control measure since 2015, when the southern state of Bavaria implemented checks to combat Europe’s migrant crisis.

The move comes amid mounting pressure from far-right politicians in Germany to curb immigration rates. This month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz postponed the intake of migrants from Italy—but reversed his decision two days later after the European Union accused Berlin of not following the so-called Dublin Regulation, which allows asylum-seekers to have their applications processed in the first country they arrive in.

All dogs go to heaven, but first they need a forever home. Brazilian priest João Paulo Araujo Gomes, from the Diocese of Caruaru, has made that a primary mission of his parish. Every week, he rescues abandoned dogs from the streets, feeds and grooms them, and then presents each dog at weekly mass to be adopted. Already, dozens of these furry friends have found new families.