WASHINGTON, July 1: US President George Bush said the release of an Israeli soldier being held captive by Palestinian militants would be the ‘key’ first step out of an escalating crisis in Gaza, the White House said on Saturday.

Mr Bush’s message came during a 30-minute telephone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was initiated by the Turkish side and focused explicitly on Gaza violence, National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones told reporters.

“The president said that the initial goal should be freeing the Israeli soldier; that is the key to ending the crisis,” Mr Jones said, citing a White House statement.

Mr Jones said the two leaders agreed to stay in close consultation as tension in the Gaza Strip continued to fester.

Following the capture on Sunday of 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit, militant factions affiliated with the armed wing of Fatah have sent several statements to the media claiming the capture of other Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Mr Bush made no mention of those other claims in his remarks.

The Israeli government has launched a massive operation against the Gaza Strip in a bid to free the soldier, also detaining more than a dozen Palestinian cabinet members belonging to the Hamas faction.—AFP