Moscow - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Iran and Syria on Friday to bring pressure to bear on the radical Palestinian Hamas movement to accept a plan proposed by Egypt for a truce in the Gaza Strip.

"We need to put all our strength behind Egypt's plan for an end to the fighting in Gaza," Lavrov told journalists at a briefing in Moscow.

"If we take this path in particular, we are sending the appropriate signal to Hamas representatives and to those states that have influence on Hamas, above all this means Iran and Syria," he said.

Russia is a member of the so-called Middle East Quartet, which sponsors the peace process along with the European Union, the United Nations and the United States.

With a long history of diplomatic ties to the Arab world stretching back to Soviet times, Moscow has been reviving its role as a key negotiator in the Gaza conflict.

Lavrov has held several rounds of telephone consultations with Hamas' leadership since the start of the conflict. (dpa)