Mofaz told a cabinet meeting that "we will have to wait a while" before a repeat of the handover which took place in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday, the Haaretz newspaper said.

The move in Bethlehem, which was handed to Palestinian security control, followed a similar pullback of Israeli troops from the northern Gaza Strip late Sunday.

The pullbacks have given a boost to the fledgling US-backed roadmap for peace, which aims to end the 33-month Palestinian uprising and revive a political process.

WAR.WIRE