Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has called on both Israel and its Palestinian adversary Hamas to conduct investigations into allegations of war crimes committed by both sides during the military offensive against Gaza last December-January. Supported by the Lower House, Mr Verhagen says he will push for a resolution adopting this stance at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The United Nation's main human rights watchdog has begun a debate on the report issued this month by leading Gaza war crimes investigator Richard Goldstone, a South African jurist and former UN war crimes prosecutor. The Goldstone report urges the UN Security Council to refer the allegations to the International Criminal Court in The Hague if either Israeli or Palestinian authorities fail to investigate and prosecute suspects within six months. But he stressed that international courts are a "last resort".

The United States is also pressing Israel to investigate the allegations of human rights violations in Gaza. Washington added that Hamas leaders in turn had a responsibility to end targeting Israeli civilians and using Palestinians as human shields.

After today's debate by the Human Rights Council, the panel found the Israeli army and Palestinian militants possibly committed crimes against humanity during the recent Gaza war. Earlier, Mr Goldstone said a lack of accountability for war crimes in the Middle East had reached "crisis point". In a news conference held today, he said he was encouraged that the US was calling on its Israeli ally to use "meaningful mechanisms" to "follow up on credible allegations". Israel did not cooperate with the UN inquiry and has rejected the report as biased.

Lead investigator into Gaza war crimes, Richard Goldstone