MOSCOW: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a telephone conversation with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, condemned rocket attacks and called for de-escalation of tensions between Palestine and Israel, the US Department of State said in a statement.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Secretary and the President discussed the violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and the Secretary expressed his condolences for the lives lost as a result," spokesperson Ned Price said, according to a report by Sputnik news on Thursday.

"The Secretary condemned the rocket attacks and emphasised the need to de-escalate tensions and bring the current violence to an end.

The Secretary also expressed his belief that Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of freedom, dignity, security and prosperity. The Secretary conveyed his best wishes for Eid and that peace and calm may prevail," Price said.

Earlier, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Abbas, in a phone conversation with Blinken, stressed the need to end Israel's aggression against the Palestinian people.

-- BERNAMA