A state-of-the-art anti-rocket system designed to protect tanks had its baptism of fire on Tuesday as Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian gunmen on the Gaza border, the army said.

The military said an Israeli tank on border patrol was attacked by an anti-tank missile, but used the new equipment to neutralize the attack and did not return fire.

"For the first time during operational activity, the Trophy (ASPRO-A) system, also known as the 'Windbreaker,' designed to actively protect against anti-tank missiles, identified, alerted and intercepted the missile," the army said in a statement.

In a separate incident an army unit saw a group of gunmen approaching the border and opened fire at them, the army said.

Both events occurred in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medics said a man was wounded by a tank shell near the south Gaza town of Khan Younis. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there was no tank fire.

Israel developed Trophy in the wake of its 2006 war with Lebanon's Hezbollah, when dozens of Israeli tanks were hit by advanced anti-tank weapons.

The radar-guided system employs sensors attached to the sides of vehicles that detect and track incoming rockets and fire off "countermeasures" to destroy them before they can hit the tank, manufacturer Rafael says.

The system was deployed on tanks along the Gaza border last year after one of Israel's front-line Merkava tanks was hit by a Russian-made Kornet anti-tank rocket. The missile penetrated the tank's armor but did not explode or cause any casualties.

The new system is known in Israel as Windbreaker and as Trophy for export.

Tuesday's clashes come after several days of tension along the border, following renewed rocket fire into southern Israel and a string of Israeli airstrikes.