Defiant Hamas bulldozes Rafah crossing wider

Hamas used a bulldozer to widen a breach in the Gaza-Egypt border on Friday so trucks could pass out of the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory despite Egypt's efforts to seal the crossing, witnesses said.

An armed Hamas militant clung on to the outside of the yellow bulldozer's cab as the driver went about his work, and a number of other armed men close by provided additional cover.

Local Palestinian residents and the waiting truck drivers cheered "crush the barrier" and shouted out "Hamas" as the bulldozer cleared a path wide enough to allow trucks to pass in either direction.

The truck drivers then hurried back to their vehicles to cross the border in the fading afternoon light while Egyptian forces, who earlier this week closed two other crossings and narrowed the third, backed away and watched from a distance.

The development came the day after Egypt began talks in Cairo with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on passage through the Gaza border. No agreement was reached.