Gaza Strip ? In the first major sign of discontent with the Hamas-led government, dozens of masked Palestinian policemen blocked a main road Saturday in the Gaza Strip and briefly seized a government building to protest the delay in paying their salaries.

The outburst reflected a growing sense of desperation in the streets of Gaza as already impoverished Palestinians start feeling the sting of the new government’s economic isolation.

Western nations have cut off aid to the cash-starved Palestinian Authority, demanding that the militant group Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist. Israel also halted the monthly transfer of about $55 million in taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

With its coffers empty, the government already is two weeks late in paying March salaries for its 140,000 employees, and it is unclear when it will have the needed funds. The Palestinian Authority is the largest employer in the West Bank and Gaza, sustaining about one-third of the population.