UN committee chief 'shocked' by Gaza destruction
Head of team investigating recent war between Israel and Hamas says will hold two days of public hearings in Strip, claims Israel not cooperating with probe
A UN team investigating possible "war crimes" by Israel and Hamas during the recent Gaza war has announced it will hold two days of public hearings in Gaza later this month.
The head of the 15-member team, Judge Richard Goldstone, said Thursday that he will issue his final report in early September.
Goldstone spoke at the end of a four-day fact-finding trip to Gaza during which he interviewed dozens of people, including relatives of civilians killed in Israel's three-week war.
The head of the UN team told reporters he was amazed by the damage caused by the operation, and added that the Israelis were not cooperating with the committee, despite the fact that they had been told cooperation was for their own good.
Goldstone previously investigated war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
He said he also hoped to hold public hearings in Israel and the West Bank, but said he cannot do so without Israeli consent.
