Cairo - More than 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Cairo on Wednesday protesting against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Several demonstrations were held in the different parts of the Egyptian capital, with the largest taking place in Ramses street, one of Cairo's major boulevards.

About 10,000 people blocked the street, shouting slogans against Israel, eyewitnesses said. Protestors marched through the street until they reached the Press Syndicate headquarters.

The Press Syndicate, along with the Bar Association and the Doctors Syndicate, all located downtown, are customary focal points for protest demonstrations in Cairo.

"They have started their march around noon, and by 5 pm there were only dozens scattered near the syndicate," said a 22-year-old Egyptian journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

She told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that when the demonstration arrived at the Press Syndicate building, security forces started to clash with protestors. Some were beaten while others were arrested.

"Even at the end of the day, everybody was, literally, running around to escape security elements. Some say that there are many girls arrested as well," she added.

A security source told dpa 130 people were arrested during protests in Cairo over the past few days.

However, a source from the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, said that at least 500 were arrested. (dpa)