London, July 24 : The rising tension in Gaza which has already claimed the lives of almost 700 Palestinians may have witnessed war crimes by Israel, the United Nation's top human rights official has alleged.

According to The Independent, referring to the July 16 attack by Israel in which four Palestinian boys were killed on a beach in Gaza, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in Geneva that there is a strong possibility that international humanitarian laws have been violated in the conflict and an enquiry must be initiated.

Just two weeks after Israel launched an offensive against Gaza with the aim to halt rocket attacks by the Islamist militant group Hamas, several civilians have been the victims of Israeli air strikes and ground operations.

Israel however, has shot back by saying that it has taken steps to safeguard civilians which have not been taken by any military in modern history. Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson said that they have often warned the civilians of an impending attack by leafleting, telephone calls and text messages.

Meanwhile, the United Council has agreed to launch an investigation yesterday, the report added. (ANI)