SEVERAL hundred Gazans normally crossed the border into and from Egypt on Wednesday after President Hosni Mubarak ordered an unlimited opening of the Rafah border crossing over Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday. "Hundreds Palestinians crossed the border in the town of Rafah, including patients travelling for medical assistance abroad and those with foreign residency permits," Egyptian officials said. Truckloads of aid were also allowed into Gaza at the same point, along with four trucks carrying tents, blankets and 13 power generators donated by Russia and Oman. Cairo said it was freely opening its border with Gaza for the first time in more than a year to allow in humanitarian aid. Mubarak ordered security at the Rafah border crossing to allow aid to enter Gaza, and to let Gazans in need of medical treatment to leave. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza reported that they coordinated with the Egyptian authorities to let 700-800 citizens leave Gaza. Mubarak, meanwhile, called his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gül and expressed his condolences for the activists who lost their lives when Israel stormed the Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The official Middle East News Agency (MENA) said that Mubarak also informed Gül about the decision to open the Rafah border to crossing for transportation of the wounded as well as humanitarian aid and medical supplies. “Gül told Mubarak that both Turkey and the international community welcomed Egypt's decision to open the border.” “The Egyptian leader had denounced the excessive and justified use of force” by Israel against the humanitarian flotilla. Meanwhile, Israel yesterday quickened the pace of expelling detained activists from the Gaza-bound flotilla as the diplomatic fallout from its deadly raid on the ships widened. With relations with Turkey at a new low, Israel ordered families of its diplomats out of that country. A bout 200 Turkish activists were bused before dawn to Israel's international airport for flights home, while 124 from a dozen Muslim nations without diplomatic relations with Israel were deported and crossed into Jordan before sunrise. Israel has come under censure worldwide ever since its naval commandos stormed an aid flotilla in international waters on Monday, setting off clashes that left nine activists dead and dozens wounded. Israel said its soldiers opened fire only after coming under attack. Israel on Tuesday announced it would deport most of the nearly 700 activists detained during the raid. Corrections department spokesman Yaron Zamir said Wednesday that the 200 Turkish activists would board planes Turkey had sent to pick them up. Some 300 other activists remain in a prison in southern Israel, Zamir added. Israel has said it intends to keep dozens of them in custody, alleging they were involved in violence against Israeli troops. Several of the activists deported to Jordan told the Associated Press that they were deprived of food, water, sleep and access to toilets in Israeli detention. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton supported a UN Security Council statement that condemned the "acts" that cost the lives of the pro-Palestinian activists off the Gaza coast. But US officials did not say whether they blamed Israel or the activists for the bloodshed. Israel has promised to halt a new attempt by pro-Palestinian groups to sail two more ships to Gaza's shores within the next few days. One of the ships was in need of repair, and it was not clear whether the other, the Rachel Corrie, would proceed on its own, said activist Hedy Epstein. The boat is named for a young American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in 2003 while protesting Israeli house demolitions in Gaza.
