New York - The United Nations said Wednesday Egypt's assistance in calming down the situation in the Gaza Strip can provide an environment to further the peace process with Israel.

"Egyptian efforts to achieve a calming of violence in and around Gaza are extremely important, and the UN strongly supports these efforts," said Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

Serry told the UN Security Council in a monthly review of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that the re-opening of crossing points between Gaza and Israel would contribute to an easing of the tensions between the two sides, to making genuine progress in talks and to reuniting the West Bank and Gaza under the legitimate Palestinian Authority. Gaza is currently under Hamas' control.

"For these reasons, I am actively engaged in supporting a more positive strategy on Gaza," Serry said.

Serry called also for intensifying the implementation of agreements reached in the Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November under the mediation of the White House. The conference was attended by many Middle Eastern governments, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"We commend the leading role regional players are taking to find political solutions on several fronts," Serry said. "This is a positive development, offering potential on which we hope it is possible to build."

He told the 15-nation council that there had been important political developments in the Middle East in the past 30 days, including indirect Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations while Israeli- Palestinian negotiations are continuing.

He said Israelis and Palestinians are committed to the peace process despite "important gaps" that still must be overcome.

Hamas militants in Gaza fired 191 rockets and at least 183 mortars into Israel in the past 30 days, killing four Israeli civilians. The Israeli Defense Forces killed 50 Palestinians, including 18 civilians among which there were 11 children.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is "increasingly grave" as the 1.5 million people remain caught between the closure of crossings due to militant attacks and Israel's punitive measures against Hamas, he said. (dpa)