JERUSALEM, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz urged the United States on Saturday to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help secure the release of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

    Leading Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website that Peretz made the urge in a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday evening.

    Peretz asked Washington to step up pressure on Syrian President Assad to use his influence on Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal,who lives in Damascus in exile, to work for the release of the abducted soldier, according to the report.

    The Israeli defense minister also said that Syria "cannot evade responsibility in the matter", the report said.

    In addition, Peretz told Rice that the failure of the kidnappers to release the Israeli soldier was weighing heavily on the Palestinians, pledging that Israel would take care of humanitarian issues in the Gaza Strip.

    Earlier, Peretz gave a green light to the reopening of a key Gaza goods crossing as of Sunday for urgent humanitarian aid.

    U.S. President George W. Bush said earlier on Saturday that freeing the Israeli soldier was the first step and the key to ending the Gaza crisis.

    As Israeli troops launched a broad ground offensive into Gaza to rescue the abducted soldier on early Wednesday, Israeli military planes flew low over a residence of Syrian President Assad in northern Syria in a bid to up pressure to secure the soldier's freedom.

    Assad was there at the time of the overflight.

    Syria said that its air defense forces opened fire at the Israeli aircraft and forced them to leave.

    Israel has accused Syria of linking with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which calls for Israel's destruct and now runs the Palestinian government.

    Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon warned that Mashaal was a target of assassination, accusing him of ordering the abduction of the Israeli soldier.

    Three Palestinian militant groups including Hamas' armed wing launched a deadly attack on the Israeli army border post on June 25, snatching the 19-year-old Gilad Shalit and killing two other Israeli soldiers.

    The massive Israeli ground offensive in Gaza entered a fourth day on Saturday and is likely to be further widened as Israeli forces are ready to enter northern Gaza, a move postponed to allow more time for mediation. Enditem