GENEVA, (Reuters) – South African judge Richard  Goldstone will lead a United Nations investigation into alleged  war crimes committed by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants  in Gaza, the U.N. Human Rights Council said yesterday.The four-member team, which also involves experts from  Pakistan, Britain, and Ireland, hopes to start its fact-finding  work in the region within weeks, according to a U.N. statement. Goldstone, a former war crimes prosecutor, said he would  review conduct by both sides in Israel’s 22-day offensive in the  Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“It is in the interest of all Palestinians and Israelis that  the allegations of war crimes and serious human rights  violations related to the recent conflict on all sides be  investigated,” he said in the statement. According to a Palestinian rights group, 1,417 people  including 926 civilians were killed in the December-January  conflict. Thirteen Israelis were killed.

Israel has accused Hamas fighters in Gaza of using civilians  as human shields during the fighting. Rights groups have also  criticised Hamas for firing rockets at civilian targets in  southern Israel.