Bush urges restraint after Israel shells Gaza

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) US President George W Bush has urged restraint after Israeli artillery shells killed 18 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and pressed for a swift completion of Israel's investigation into the attack.

Bush, who usually refrains from criticising military actions by US ally Israel, stopped short of reprimanding the Jewish state, whose prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is due to meet him in Washington on Monday.

''The United States is deeply saddened by the injuries and loss of life in Gaza today,'' Bush said in a statement yesterday.

''We have seen the Israeli government's apology and understand an investigation has begun.'' ''We hope it will be completed quickly and that appropriate steps will be taken to avoid a repetition of this tragic incident.

We call on all parties to act with care and restraint so as to avoid any harm to innocent civilians,'' he said.

It was the deadliest single Israeli attack in Palestinian areas in four years, and prompted swift vows of retaliation from the militants groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The shelling, which targeted a northern Gaza town that has been a launching ground for militants' cross-border rocket attacks on the Jewish state, was condemned across Europe and West Asia.

Olmert's office voiced sorrow over the civilian deaths, and shelling in Gaza was ordered halted until the official inquiry is complete.

REUTERS DH BST0528