Gazans Blow up Border - Cross into Egypt

Masked gunmen blew up a large section of a wall seperating the border town of Rafah - a divided city with one half in Egypt and the other in impoverished Gaza.

The result was a massive exodus of people into Egypt looking to buy goods unavailable since the Israelis closed off access to Gaza last week:

Jubilant men and women crossed unhindered by border controls over the toppled corrugated metal along sections of the barrier, carrying goats, chickens and crates of Coca-Cola. Some brought back televisions, car tires and cigarettes and one man even bought a motorcycle. Vendors sold soft drinks and baked goods to the crowds.

They were stocking up on goods made scarce by the Israeli blockade and within hours, shops on the Egyptian side of Rafah had run out of stock. The border fence had divided the Rafah into two halves, one on the Egyptian side and one in southern Gazan.

Yesterday, the Israelis lifted the blockade so that fuel for power plants could be delivered.

Israel was forced to close off Gaza as a result of continuous rocket attacks that were threatening Israeli citizens on a daily basis. As many as a half dozen Kassam's were fired at Israeli towns from Gaza every day. Rather than having the IDF invade - an option that is still on the table - the Israelis chose the less provocative move of closing off the border.