Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (R, front) speaks after approval of the resolution calling for ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza during the United Nations Security Council meeting on Gaza crisis at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, on January 8, 2009.[Xinhua]

The European Union (EU) on Friday hailed a UN Security Council resolution on the Gaza conflict and called for restraint from Israel and Hamas to prevent further escalation of the tensions.

The EU welcomes the agreement reached by the Security Council in New York and calls on all parties to fully implement the resolution, which calls for a ceasefire, the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU rotating presidency, said in a statement.

"The presidency is deeply concerned over the continuing Israeli military action in Gaza and the continuation of indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel," the statement said.

The EU repeated its call for an immediate ceasefire on both sides, saying there must be an unconditional halt to rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel and an end to Israeli military actions.

It is also concerned that humanitarian convoys have been fired upon and humanitarian staff killed, which had resulted in the disruption of humanitarian operations.

It called on Israel to work with humanitarian organizations, and urged the Jewish state to open its border crossings with Gaza to allow movement of persons, humanitarian aid and commercial goods.

The EU believed that the two state solution remained the best hope for a lasting peace, said the statement.

"The recent crisis only serves to show that urgent progress in the peace process is needed more than ever," it said, adding that the Czech EU presidency will urge the parties to advance the peace process in 2009.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)