In pictures: Gaza border breached

For a third day, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been crossing into Egypt from Gaza after militants used explosives to blow several holes in the border wall.

On Friday, Egyptian riot police formed human chains in an attempt to reseal the border. Hamas, the group in charge of the Gaza Strip, has said it supports Egypt's decision.

The police were strongly outnumbered, though, as large numbers of Palestinians managed to sneak through other openings in the border wall.

The UN says some 700,000 people have crossed into Egypt since Wednesday. A variety of items have been going the other way, including cows hoisted over the border by cranes.

Some have used donkeys to stock up on emergency supplies that have been scarce since Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza last week.

Food, fuel, and in this instance, a coffin, have also been heading back to Gaza. The number of border breaches has made it impossible to monitor what has been imported.

Hamas militants have been checking some people passing back into Gaza for contraband, and trying to calm tensions between Palestinians and the Egyptian police.

But sporadic gunfire rang out as Hamas fighters (above) and Egyptian officials used warning shots and water cannon to try to stem the flow of people.

Defying attempts to reseal the border, on Friday Palestinians used a bulldozer to punch new gaps in the wall. Egyptian police pulled back as crowds of Palestinians swarmed through.

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