Israeli soldiers seized the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun Wednesday in an effort to stop Palestinian militants from firing rockets into Israel, the military said.

The operation — involving infantry, tanks and aircraft — was one of the largest in the area since late June, when Israel began incursions to rescue a soldier seized by militants, an army spokesman said. The soldier remains in captivity.

Israeli soldiers ride in a tank on the border with the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun near Kibbutz Mefalsim on Wednesday.
(Ariel Schalit/Associated Press)

Eight Palestinians, including five militants and a policeman, were reported killed in the attack; Israel confirmed the death of one of its soldiers.   Throughout the day, dozens of Palestinian gunmen exchanged fire with the Israeli forces.

The takeover of Beit Hanoun was expected to last only a few days, according to Israeli officials, who emphasized the operation was not the start of a broader military offensive in Gaza.

Hamas condemns attack

Despite the Israeli move, the military arm of Hamas said it would not stop attacking Israel. Six rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on Wednesday. No one was seriously hurt.

Palestinian officials said 61 people were wounded in the Israeli attack, most of them militants. The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas government condemned the attack.

Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, and the area has descended into chaos since then, with Palestinian factions fighting for control, and government functions constrained by a lack of money.

After Hamas was elected to lead the government early this year, Western countries, which had provided aid, stopped payments to encourage the government to amend its anti-Israel policy.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel's campaign against Gaza militants would be stepped up, but the government said Wednesday it has decided not to launch a major new attack.

With files from the Associated Press