Egyptian security forces have tried to reseal the border with the Gaza Strip, two days after Palestinian militants destroyed a border barricade, but thousands of Gazans are still crossing into Egypt freely.
Border guards fired water cannons over the crowd Friday but failed to stop hundreds of Palestinians from passing through the Rafah crossing. As the guards tried to seal off the main breach, a group of militants used a bulldozer to knock over a new section of the barrier.
Police had announced the border would be closed completely by Friday night, but the border guards withdrew not long after the second breach. Hundreds of thousands of people have crossed into Egypt to buy goods made scarce by a blockade Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip last week. An Israeli spokesman (Arieh Mekel) says he is concerned the ruling Hamas party will use the open border to smuggle terrorists and weapons.