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ARISH, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces clashed on Wednesday with members of a convoy led by left-wing British politician George Galloway trying to take relief supplies to Palestinians in the Gaza strip.

A Reuters correspondent in the port city of Arish, 40 km (25 miles) from Egypt's border with Gaza, saw security forces throwing stones at about 520 people travelling with the convoy.

The convoy has been locked in a dispute with Egyptian authorities over the route of the 198 trucks.

Police used water cannon to force the protesters to leave Arish harbour, which they had occupied, a security source said. Around 40 members of the convoy had minor injuries while around 15 police officials were hurt, witnesses said.

Egypt's Interior Ministry said protesters had broken a gate into the port complex, while others scaled its walls.

Some of the protesters "lit cardboard boxes and prevented firemen from reaching them and moved cars from the convoy to block the port gate", the ministry said in a statement published by Egypt's official news agency MENA.

The activists struck a deal with police to trade four police officers who had been held by the protesters for a few hours in exchange for seven members of the convoy detained by police.

Cairo insists the food and other supplies should go to Gaza via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint while the convoy's leaders want to use the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing.