Residents of east China's Fujian Province are expected to be the first to resume visits to Taiwan's Matsu, a senior official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Sunday.
According to Rao Quan, vice minister of culture and tourism, Fujian residents will also be able to participate in group travels to Taiwan following the resumption of direct sea passenger routes from Fujian's Pingtan to Taiwan.
Rao made the remarks while meeting a visiting Chinese Kuomintang party delegation led by Fu Kun-chi in Beijing.
Fujian residents to be first to resume visiting Taiwan's Matsu: official
Israeli military operation has stimulated worsening displacement crisis in Gaza, miring displaced civilians in stern and harsh living and security conditions, in the devastating aftermath of Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives in Rafah.
The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced Saturday that teams recovered nine bodies and rescued several wounded victims, including a child, from an Israeli bombing attack on a house in the middle of the enclave. Witnesses have said Israeli shelling led to the destruction of the house and caused extensive damage to homes and property.
The Israeli forces on Saturday expanded its simultaneous ground and air attacks across Gaza following its demand to evacuate residents from large areas in the northern and central regions.
Since the onset of the ground operations in the Rafah area, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been trying to flee from the area.
Around 300,000 have already fled from Rafah. However the areas they are moving to had mostly been turned into rubble in previous attacks, with practically no infrastructure, water supply, food supply, or medical points to provide decent healthcare. Yet people are moving to that rubble for the sake of fleeing the ongoing bombardment and devastation. Those who are not moving are extremely fearful of the imminent death and destruction that might come for them once again.
"They threw evacuation leaflets at us. We fled from Rafah to the city of Deir al-Balah in search of safety, but unfortunately we did not find any safety here. Even our economic conditions have now become very difficult and we no longer have anything. Our lives have become harsh in all aspects," said Sherine al-Attar, a displaced Palestinian in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah.
"The school in which we lived was subjected to severe bombardment. We fled from there under the shrapnel of shells. We searched for any safe place we could reach to protect our children. After much difficulty, we arrived in Deir al-Balah to join the rest of our family here," said Fatima Rayhan, another displaced Palestinian.
Israeli military operation stimulates worsening displacement crisis in Gaza
