Israel said Thursday it was investigating 100 complaints of misconduct by its forces in a Gaza offensive this year. It also admitted troops had fired white phosphorous munitions but not in violation of international law. 

The 163-page government statement was issued in anticipation of a United Nations war crimes investigation headed for completion next month. The statement defended the 22-day offensive as a "necessary and proportionate" response to Hamas rocket fire at Israel.

 
Some 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and 13 Israelis were killed in the December 27 to January 18 operation and Israel has repeatedly rebuffed war crimes charges by several human rights groups.
 
In the report, the Israeli Foreign Ministry says it deeply regrets the deaths during the Gaza Operation.
 
"But Israel has both the responsibility and the right under international law, as does every State, to defend its civilians from intentional rocket attacks. It believes that it discharged that responsibility in a manner consistent with the rules of international law. Israel is committed to a thorough investigation of all allegations to the contrary and to making the results of these investigations and subsequent reviews public when they are completed". 
 
The statement says the incursion was a necessary response to Hamas attacks on Israel. The Israeli government estimates that in the last eight years, the Gaza based Islamic militants have launched some 12,000 rocket attacks and conducted suicide bombings that killed 1,100 in Israel.
 
It restated Israel's insistence it complied with international law in the 22-day campaign, adding it was "conducting comprehensive investigations" into 100 pending complaints after inquiries from UN and human rights groups.
 
Thirteen criminal files have also been opened, most involving allegations Israeli soldiers used civilians as human shields or perpetrated property damage, the report added.
 
Israel has previously said internal investigations by its armed forces found no evidence of serious misconduct by troops in the Gaza fighting.
 
Israel also admitted outright for the first time in the report that its army had "used munitions containing white phosphorous" in Gaza, but denied violating international law, saying it had not fired such weapons inside populated areas.
 
Previously Israel had said it was investigating allegations that it fired weapons containing phosphorous, which cause serious burns, without directly denying or confirming it had done so.
 
Israel has not cooperated with a United Nations probe headed by former chief UN war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accusing the organisation of bias against the Jewish state.
 
But the investigation due in August seemed a catalyst behind Israel's report, in addition to charges published this month by 30 Israeli veterans saying they were encouraged to minimise their own casualties rather than avoid civilian deaths in Gaza.
 
"There are constant efforts to keep this issue on the agenda, and we reached the conclusion we should prepare a complete explanation so there would be a clear Israeli statement as to why we did what we did and how," an Israeli ministry official said.