Egypt's military says militants from the Gaza Strip were involved in Sunday's attack that killed 16 Egyptian border guards and included an attempt to cross into Israel.

The military and Egypt's new president, Mohamed Mursi, have condemned the attack and vowed to assert more control over the border area and the Sinai peninsula.

Israel says the attack was part of a plot to abduct an Israeli soldier. Officials say Israeli security forces stopped the attackers and a least eight gunmen were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli side of the border Monday and warned Egypt to enhance its security in the region.

Since the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak last year, militants in Sinai have targeted Egyptian security forces, blown up pipelines supplying gas to Israel and Jordan and killed Israelis in cross-border attacks.