US President George W Bush last night repeated his claim that Hamas is responsible for the current warfare in the Gaza Strip and he endorsed Israel's incursion.

"I understand Israel's desire to protect itself, and the situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," Mr Bush said.

Mr Bush said the US is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He said he wants to see violence stopped, but an agreement first must be forged to stop Hamas from firing rockets into Israel again.

He added that a ceasefire was a "noble" ambition.

Israel's 10-day-old military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 541 Palestinians.

Israel says it wants to weaken Palestinian Islamist group Hamas by killing its fighters and destroying stockpiles of the rockets it fires into Israel.

Hamas took control of Gaza after winning Palestinian elections in 2006 and fighting street battles with forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

Last night, Saudi Arabia said the international community should do more to stop Israeli "barbarity" in its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"The international position is feeble in dealing with unprecedented Israeli violations and in dealing with international crises," said a cabinet statement.

Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets to break up a pro-Palestinian protest in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province last week. The government denied any protest took place.

- Holly Rosenkrantz in Washington