Egyptian border guards use a water cannon to disperse Palestinians attempting to cross from Gaza into Rafah, 25 Jan 2008

The scene at the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remains chaotic, as thousands of Palestinians crossed into Egypt Saturday for a fourth day since militants destroyed a border barricade.

Hundreds of vehicles also crossed into Egypt, after Palestinian militants used a bulldozer to open a new section of the barrier.

Hamas gunmen are in control on Egypt's side of the border, where border guards and police are standing back. Egypt says about 40 of its security forces have been injured since Gaza militants destroyed part of the barrier Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have since crossed into the Egyptian border town of Rafah.

Egypt proposed Saturday to have representatives from the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah come to Cairo for talks on resolving the border crisis. Hamas has accepted the proposal.

Hamas used force to seize control of the Gaza Strip in June from Fatah, which is led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian officials say Mr. Abbas will ask Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert if his Fatah security forces can deploy on the Gaza-Egypt border, when the two leaders meet Sunday as planned.

Palestinians have been crossing the border to buy goods made scarce by a blockade Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip last week in response to Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Separately, Israeli police shot and wounded a Palestinian man who stabbed an Israeli border policeman at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. Israeli medical workers say the incident happened near Jerusalem at an area Israel calls Atarot, and the Palestinian refer to as Qalandia.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.