Crowds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday clashed with Egyptian border guards, throwing rocks at the troops and attempting to scale the border fence, al-Jazeera television reported.

Egyptian and Palestinian security officers fired shots into the air in an attempt to move the protesting Palestinians away from the border, DPA reported.

Al-Jazeera reported that several ambulances have left the scene carrying injured Palestinians.

The Palestinians, mostly young men, are thought to be acting in protest against Egypt's refusal to allow an aid convoy, called Viva Palestina, to enter Gaza through Egypt's Rafah border crossing in recent days.

Clashes erupted Tuesday night between international pro- Palestinian activists from the aid convoy and Egyptian police in the nearby town of al-Arish.