Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot dead two Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, which the militant group said were trying to ambush IDF soldiers operating just inside the Strip.

The army said troops opened fire after the two gunmen shot toward them, and had tampered with the security fence in an attempt to enter Israel.

The soldiers entered a few meters into the Gaza Strip as they conducted a routine patrol northeast of the Palestinian town of Beit Lahiya against attempts by militants to tunnel into Israel and carry out attacks against troops, the army said.

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The troops discovered that both men had been carrying grenades in addition to their guns, the spokesman said.

Palestinian medics said the bodies of the two men were brought to hospital after they were shot near the site of a former Jewish settlement in Gaza.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Friday he could not promise the situation along the border with the southern Palestinian territory will not become similar to the status quo that existed along the northern border prior to the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War.

Nonetheless, Olmert said he is convinced that Israel should not launch a major ground assault in Gaza, nor should it reoccupy the Strip.

A senior Israel Defense Forces source said Thursday that the army is very concerned about Hamas' growing strength in the Gaza Strip, but not enough to lead it to ask for permission to carry out a large-scale military operation there.

Hamas has controlled the Strip since routing forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement during factional fighting last month.