The Israeli report absolved the country's military forces of violations, saying what happened is the consequence of fighting against a group that had taken up positions in crowded urban settings.

The United Nations report, which was issued Monday, asserted, however, that both Israel and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes and that Israeli officials had brought no one to account.

A total of 2,251 Palestinians were killed in the war, according to the U.N., 1,462 of them civilians, including 229 women and 551 children. Six Israeli civilians and 67 Israeli soldiers were killed in Palestinian rocket and mortar strikes.

Israel did not cooperate with the U.N. commission, saying its mandate was skewed. The council is a "notoriously biased institution" that has consistently singled out Israel for condemnation and the panel's mandate "presumed Israel guilty from the start," a Foreign Ministry statement said after the report was released.