Washington: President George W Bush called his Turkish counterpart and urged an end to rocket fire into Israel as part of efforts to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, the White House said today.

Bush told Turkish President Abdullah Gul that a lasting ceasefire in Gaza required a halt to rocket fire and arms smuggling by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.

"President Bush emphasized the importance of bringing an end to rocket-fire against Israel and preventing arms smuggling into Gaza as the basis for a durable ceasefire," Johndroe said in describing the conversation with Gul, whose Islamist party dominates the Turkish parliament.

"The President welcomed Turkey's support for the Egyptian-French mediation efforts" designed to halt the violence in Gaza, the statement said.

Bush also spoke about the Gaza crisis with Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency.

The two agreed on the "importance of bringing an end to the rocket fire against Israel, implementing a plan to prevent smuggling into Gaza and ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches the Palestinian people," Johndroe said.

Bush agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Czech presidency of the EU said in a statement.

The United States, Israel's closest ally, has supported the Jewish state throughout its two-week assault on the tiny Mediterranean enclave that has killed 825 Palestinians so far.

Source : PTI