CAIRO/JERUSALEM, July 22 (Xinhua) -- While more civilians and military personnel are dying on both sides of Israel and Hamas- ruled Gaza Strip, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are now in Egypt to back up the country's efforts to broker a truce between the warring sides.

Kerry blamed on Tuesday that the Islamist movement for the ongoing crisis and voiced support for "Israel's right of self- defense."

"For two weeks, we have seen Hamas launch rocket after rocket at Israeli neighborhoods, and for two weeks, we have seen Israel respond as any country has the right to do and it is under attack, " Kerry told reporters in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.

Kerry's remarks came after holding talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry on how to reach a ceasefire agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The top U.S. diplomat urged both the Israelis and the Palestinians to reach a ceasefire agreement and put an end to the atrocities.

"Just reaching a ceasefire clearly is not enough," Kerry said, urging "serious engagement, discussion, negotiation regarding the underlying issues and addressing all the concerns that brought us to where we are today."

"We're here working because we've seen too much bloodshed on all sides, including the death of two American citizens," Kerry said, stressing U.S. support for the Egyptian proposed truce between Israel and Hamas.

Last week, Egypt proposed a truce initiative, calling both sides to stop shooting at each other unconditionally. The Egyptian offer was welcomed by all sides excluding Hamas, which rejected the idea, and demanded a comprehensive solution package and an end for years of rigid Israeli blockade on the enclave.

Kerry reaffirmed U.S. 47-million-dollar humanitarian aid to the people in the conflict-stricken strip, lamenting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was "going worse day after day." "People lost their homes, all of their positions, their access to food and water and their entire way of life."

Kerry arrived in Cairo on Monday evening, a few hours after the arrival of UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who also met with Sisi and voiced support for the Egyptian bid for ceasefire in Gaza.

FURTHER ISRAEL ARMY DEPLETION

Also on Tuesday, another Israeli soldier was killed in a fire exchange with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced in a statement.

The 20 year-old Staff Sergeant Avitar Moshe Torjamin's death brings the death toll of Israeli soldiers to 28 since Israel's ground incursion into the Gaza Strip commenced late Thursday.

Earlier, the IDF said two more Israeli soldiers were killed in battles by snipers on Monday afternoon, in addition to seven soldiers already announced dead on Sunday. Thirteen soldiers were killed in various incidents on Sunday in the Strip and five died over the weekend. Two Israeli civilians were killed from rocket attacks last week.

Moreover, the IDF identified a missing Israeli soldier, Oron Shaul, who Hamas claimed on Sunday to have kidnapped, yet did not confirm whether he was dead or alive.

The military said it examined and identified the bodies of six soldiers who were killed when their armored personnel carrier vehicle was hit by anti-tank missiles in an attack on Sunday.

Shaul was with the six killed in the tank, and military sources say there is "very slim chance" he survived, adding that they believe Hamas retrieved some identification items following the attack.

His family was visited by the IDF representatives who updated the family on the army's efforts to find out what happened to him, adding it is very unlikely he is still alive. The family said they will not believe he is dead unless given conclusive evidence proving he was killed.