UN deputy spokeswoman Hua Jiang said Annan condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the bus bombing by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed at least 16 Israelis and injured dozens more.

"As he has made clear repeatedly, the secretary-general believes that such attacks are utterly reprehensible and only serve to spur further hatred and mistrust," she said.

Annan expressed profound condolences to the families of the victims, and urged Israelis and Palestinians to act with restraint in the face of this terrorism.

He urged Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to "work assiduously to fulfill his pledge to end the armed intifada (uprising)."

Annan reiterated his belief that security for both Israelis and Palestinians can best be achieved through the resolution of this conflict through the two state solution called for in the Roadmap peace plan.

The bombing attack was an apparent reprisal to Israel's failed missile strike against a senior Hamas leader in Gaza city Tuesday. Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Raneesi narrowly escaped the strike with light injuries in his legs and chest.

The assassination bid triggered a new cycle of violence. Less than an hour after the suicide bombing late Wednesday, Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a car in Gaza, killing a leading member of the Hamas alongside six other Palestinians.

The slain Hamas leader was identified as Tito Massaoud, a senior member of the group's military wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2003)