Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement Wednesday, saying Israel would rull out a large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The decision was made during an emergency meeting attended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, top military commanders and security advisers on how to respond to Tuesday's rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza.

However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are authorized to carry out limited operations in Gaza in order to foil kidnapping attempts and terror attacks in the future, according to the statement.

"Israel will not hesitate to take harsh measures against those who try to harm its sovereignty by firing rockets into our territory, attempting attacks on soldiers, and (by) other means," the statement said.

At the meeting, Olmert was presented with a proposal to resume targeted assassinations of Palestinian militants and hits on infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, but the official statement did not refer to this proposal.

Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said that Israel has no interest in the escalation of ground offensive, but "we do have an interest in doing what is necessary to reduce as much as possible the level of terrorism."

Meanwhile, Chairman of Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Radio that Israel should place Gaza under closure "until Hamas is toppled."

Also on Wednesday, Israel is to submit a protest against the rocket attack to the UN Security Council.

On Tuesday morning, tens of Qassam rockets and mortar shells were launched at southern Israel, which were supposed by IDF officials as a diversionary tactic meant to provide covering fire for an infiltration aimed at kidnapping soldiers, army sources told Xinhua.

The attack, coinciding with Israel's Independence Day, is the first time in five months that the military wing of Hamas has claimed responsibility for a Qassam attack on Israel.

The group said the strikes were revenge for IDF operations over the weekend, in which nine Palestinians were killed, and also called for a renewal of attacks on Israel.

The IDF said in a statement that the army has been on high alert in recent weeks, ever since receiving intelligence that Hamas was planning to abduct soldiers in a raid similar to the one near Kerem Shalom last June, in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured.

Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that Hamas' violation of the five-month-old Gaza Strip cease-fire was an exception and would not be repeated, calling on Israel to show restraint in order to avoid a security deterioration.

"The violation of the truce is an exceptional event that will not last," said Abbas at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi in Rome.

"I take this opportunity to appeal to Israel to show the necessary self-control so that this will not happen again," Abbas added.

Ghazi Hamad, spokesman of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya, said Tuesday that Haneya's national coalition is interested to continue with the cease-fire with Israel.

"Although the Israeli occupation forces continue its military aggression on our people and the cease-fire is threatened to collapse, the (Palestinian) government is interested to continue with it," Hamad said in a printed statement faxed to reporters.