The conference participants also vowed to press for an end to the blockade which Israel and Egypt imposed on Gaza following Hamas' June 2007 takeover of the desert strip from the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority.

According to Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, the blockade spurred the smuggling in Gaza.

"All they are doing is trying to obtain anything by any means possible. So stopping the smuggling must be linked to opening the border crossings and ending the blockade," he said.

Ban noted it was time to put the Middle East peace process back on track.

"The whole international community, particularly Arab countries, should fully support this process," said the UN secretary-general.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends an international summit on Gaza crisis in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Jan. 18, 2009. [Wang Wei/Xinhua]