GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian militants detonated a land mine near the border with Egypt on Thursday, blowing open a large hole in a wall near the border, witnesses and officials said. Palestinian security personnel formed a human cordon to prevent people from pushing through the gaping hole, and hurdling a second, border wall less than 100 meters (yards) away, witnesses said.
On the Egyptian side, soldiers gathered to prevent people from breaching the Palestinian cordon and officials imposed a curfew near the blast site, said Ahmed el-Masri, director of police in the Egyptian border town of Rafah.
El-Masri said the hole was about three meters (nine-feet) wide.
Dozens of Palestinians streamed to the area after the mine exploded.
Medical officials said two police officers standing near the wall were injured by the explosion. No further details were immediately available.