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GUEST: Mohammad Omer, freelance journalist from Gaza

Palestinian protesters seeking relief from the Israeli blockade of Gaza, clashed with Egyptian border guards today. Demonstrators briefly broke through the Egyptian border terminal before being pushed back. Tensions in the Gaza strip have mounted since Ehud Barak’s Defense Ministry closed all border crossings and aid shipments into the Gaza Strip last week. The move was condemned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency as the organization said the closure disallowed truckloads of its humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza last Friday. The U.N humanitarian affairs chief weighed in by stating that Israel’s decision amounted to collective punishment and was unjustifiable. The blockade has been minimally lifted today as Israel allowed fuel supplies to enter Gaza’s main power plant. Meanwhile violence continues in Gaza as a Palestinian woman was killed and over forty civilians injured last Friday after an Israeli missile attack. Friday’s air raid came a day after The air strikes and the border closure come at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that his nation was at “war” with fighters in the Gaza Strip. During last week, at least 32 people were killed by the Israeli military, with Hamas firing over a hundred rockets and mortars.