The Israeli government’s tightening of a blockade against the Gaza Strip has deepened an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, plunging its 1.5 million people into cold and darkness and threatening to unleash both mass hunger and a serious health crisis. The Israeli cabinet voted last week to seal all border crossings into Gaza, cutting off food, medicine and fuel for the population and turning the entire territory into a vast prison. On Sunday January 20th, the cutoff of fuel forced the shutdown of the Gaza Strip’s only power plant.

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On January 22nd, dozens of Palestinian protesters stormed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, demanding it be opened to ease the blockade. Egyptian police opened fire in the air and used batons and water canons, as protesters complained that Gaza was under siege from both Israel and neighbouring Arabs.

On January 23rd, masked militants destroyed around two-thirds of the metal wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Tens of thousands of Palestinians flooded across the border to buy food and supplies. Egypt's dictator Hosni Mubarak says he ordered his troops to allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt because they were starving. Hamas' leadership has said it will be willing to work to resolve the chaotic situation on the border only if its is placed under exclusive Palestinian and Egyptian control.

On January 25, Egyptian border guards with riot shields formed human chains along the Egypt-Gaza border, but were unable to stop hundreds of Palestinians from rushing into Egypt after a bulldozer wrecked another section of fence along the frontier.

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Emergency protests are being held around the world against the strangulation of Gaza, demanding an immediate end to the Israeli blockade and siege of Gaza. A San Francisco protest took place on Friday January 25th at the Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery Street.
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