U.N. war crimes inquiry on Gaza wraps up hearings

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations war crimes investigators on Tuesday wound up four days of public hearings about Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip after taking painful testimony from both Israelis and Palestinians.

Richard Goldstone, a former chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor heading the four-person inquiry team, said he expected to submit its report to the U.N. Human Rights Council next month.

"The testimony we have heard has been very difficult to hear," he told a news briefing. "The aim is to show the human side of suffering and give a voice to victims so they are not lost among statistics."

According to a Palestinian rights group, 1,417 people including 926 civilians were killed during Israel's December 27-January 18 offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory of 1.5 million people.

Israel lost 10 soldiers and three civilians in the fighting, which it launched with the declared aim of halting cross-border rocket fire by militants. It has estimated 1,166 Palestinians were killed, 295 of them civilians.

Activists had called for an independent investigation into the conduct of Israeli troops in Gaza, including the destruction of several residential areas and the firing of artillery shells containing white phosphorous which can cause severe burns.

Israel has said an internal probe by its armed forces found no evidence of serious misconduct by Israeli troops.

Lt. Col Raymond Lane, chief instructor in the Irish Defence Forces School, reported to the U.N. inquiry about weapons used in the conflict.