The Israeli army has pulled out of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun after a six-day offensive that killed at least 52 Palestinians.

Israeli forces remain in other parts of the Gaza Strip.

Residents confirmed that the Israeli army had left Beit Hanoun overnight.

Israel started the latest offensive on Wednesday, saying it wanted to stop Palestinian fighters from launching homemade rockets and as part of an ongoing operation to retrieve a soldier captured four months ago.

Israeli troops have killed 52 Palestinians during the past week, according to Palestinian medical officials.

More than 200 have been wounded and one Israeli soldier has been killed.

Residents reported that Israeli armoured vehicles had withdrawn from the centre of the town during the night to its northern outskirts, close to the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Ali Uda, a doctor at a hospital in Beit Hanoun, said: "Twenty-four tanks were posted around the hospital. Now I can't see a single one."

The latest offensive was part of a larger operation by Israeli forces that moved back into Gaza four months ago after an Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinian fighters.

More than 300 Palestinians have been killed since.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Palestinian member of the Islamic Jihad, drags a hooded Palestinian man, who is accused of being a spy for the Israeli military, in Gaza City. (AFP)