US President George W. Bush discussed by telephone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Gaza crisis yesterday, the White House said.

"President Bush and the two Palestinian leaders discussed their efforts for a sustainable ceasefire," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters at Bush's Texas ranch. "They agreed that for any ceasefire to be effective, it must be respected, particularly by Hamas."

Also on Tuesday, Bush called his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak to thank him for his efforts to stop Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.