The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Rafah

Khaled Salah's shop in the border town of Rafah is almost empty, to the immense disappointment of Palestinians who fled a blockaded Gaza to stock up on vital supplies across the border in Egypt.

Only two tins of vegetable oil and a few honey jars sit on the shelves of his modest grocery shop in the divided town that straddles the Sinai peninsula and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Several hundred thousand Palestinians have swarmed into Egypt since militants blew up the Rafah barricades on Tuesday night after a punishing Israeli lockdown of the territory cut vital fuel and aid supplies.

But after six days, supplies are running dry and Egyptian authorities are barring trucks from bringing in fresh deliveries.

"The shops are empty and they won't let us go to El-Arish (further west). Never mind, we'll have a look around Rafah," sighs Sabah al-Arji surrounded by her 11 children.