About a month ago, in response to continual indiscriminate firing of Kassam rockets across the border, Israel started to blockade Gaza which is under Hamas control. Supplies of food, fuel and drugs became scarce and sporadic. Journalists on television reported about the suffering of the Palestinian people. With 70% unemployment Gaza residents are dependent on handouts from aid agencies and the blockade only made things worse. Then a few days back Hamas blew up the wall separating Gaza from Egypt and about seven hundred thousand people have crossed into Egypt to buy supplies. Jubilant Palestinians were shown carrying huge bags of grains, crates of soft drinks and large boxes of other supplies. Normally such an act would be construed as an invasion of foreign territory and invited a severe armed response but the Egyptian government is in a bind. It cannot be seen to fire on fellow Arabs who are being blockaded by the hated Zionists but cannot be seen to be a weak state unable to defend its borders. Despite pressure from Israel and the US Egyptian police have given way as the Palestinians have crossed over in their thousands. Today the authorities in Egypt have shut down all shops near the border to discourage the Palestinians from coming over. In all the news reports no one has asked the question as to where the Palestinians, who were supposedly without any money only a week ago, have suddenly procured enough cash to fill horse drawn carts with supplies. Who has given large sums of cash to the Hamas? The second question is who planned this particular exercise? By itself Hamas would not have dared to pull off such a stunt. Do I detect the foul hand of Iran who could have financed the deal and provided the technical guidance. Perhaps the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt helped. The Middle East continues to boil.