Gunmen blast hole in Gaza-Egypt border

GAZA, July 14 (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen blew a 6 meter hole in the border wall between Gaza and Egypt today, allowing Gazans who had been stranded on the closed border for two weeks to enter the coastal strip, witnesses said.

At least 70 masked gunmen took part in the operation. Many of them belonged to Hamas's armed wing, witnesses said.

After the explosion, hundreds of Palestinians crossed into Gaza, some cheering ''God is Greatest''.

One man exclaimed: ''We are free. We are back home.'' The Palestinian government said 6 Palestinians, including an infant, have died while stranded on the closed Egypt-Gaza border. The bodies of two of the dead were allowed into Gaza earlier today.

REUTERS SI VC2200