Jerusalem- Israel's military investigation of its own offensive in Gaza "lacks credibility" and confirms the need for an impartial international inquiry, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.

The group said such an inquiry should investigate alleged violations of the laws of war during the December 27 - January 18 offensive by both Israel and the radical Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza.

It called on both to cooperate with Justice Richard Goldstone, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to head such an international inquiry.

The Israeli military late Wednesday presented the findings of internal investigations into a series of allegations, including several high-profile cases in which large numbers of civilians were killed and allegations that it made illegal use of white phosphorus in populated areas.

Israel's deputy army chief of staff, presenting the findings, admitted the military had made mistakes during the offensive which caused civilian deaths, but did not deliberately fire at civilians.

"We haven't found even a single case in which an Israeli soldier aimed his sight and deliberately shot a Palestinian civilian," Major General Dan Harel said in remarks broadcast on Israeli television channels.

The Israeli also military admitted it used two types of white phosphorus, but insisted it did so in accordance with international law.

The main type used was not incendiary and used for the creation of smokescreens, it said. The army argued this protected ground troops against Palestinian militants and often prevented the need to use more lethal explosives.

It admitted it also used a "very limited amount" of another type of white phosphorous used for marking and range-finding - both in mortar shells fired by ground forces and
76mm rounds fired from naval vessels - but only in "open areas."

"The investigative results make clear that the Israeli military will not objectively monitor itself," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East and North Africa director.

He criticized the army report as an "attempt to mask violations of the laws of war by Israeli forces."

HRW said its own investigation into the fighting in Gaza had concluded that Israeli forces were responsible for serious violations of the laws of war, including the use of heavy artillery and white phosphorus in densely populated areas, the "apparent" targeting of people trying to convey their civilian status, and the excessive destruction of civilian infrastructure.

It said that Hamas also committed serious violations of the laws of war by deliberately and indiscriminately firing rockets into civilian areas in Israel.

It added that the Israeli officers who headed the investigations, all colonels, were of insufficient rank to address abuses that resulted from policies set by more senior commanders.

According to the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) 1,417 Palestinians died in the offensive, nearly two-third of them civilians. It has published a list with all 1,417 fatalities, detailing their names, ages, dates of death and other specifics.

It says that of the dead, 236 were fighters and 255 non-combatant police officers, leaving 926 civilians, who include 313 minors and 116 women.

Thirteen Israelis also died in ground fighting, some of them by friendly-fire, and in rocket attacks.

Israel launched the offensive in a bid to stop near-daily rocket and mortar attacks at its southern towns and villages. (dpa)