United Nations to investigate ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza

At least 25 people, including three children, have been killed in bombardment by the Israeli military on the Gaza Strip, just a day after the UN Human Rights Council voted to launch an inquiry into the ongoing Israeli offensive's alleged violations of international laws, Al Jazeera reports.

Most of Thursday's casualties were reported in the town of Khan Younis in southeast of Gaza, but ambulances struggled to enter the area amid intense fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian Hamas fighters, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported.

Earlier, Navi Pillay, the UN rights chief, told an emergency session of the council on Wednesday that Israel's military actions could amount to war crimes.

The 47-member council adopted the investigation under a draft resolution after a request by Palestine, which has UN observer status: 29 states voted in favour of the investigation; 17 abstained, including many EU states while the US voted against.

The Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement that the decision was a "travesty", adding that Israel had "gone to unprecedented lengths to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm's way".

A total of 775 Palestinians - the vast majority of them civilians - have been killed in Israel's 17-day campaign in Gaza. In the same period, two Israeli civilians have been killed by rocket fire into Israel from Gaza, and 32 Israeli soldiers have died in Gaza.

Wednesday saw a flurry of diplomatic activity, with John Kerry, US secretary of state, holding meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, hopes of a ceasefire appeared to be in deadlock.

In his first comments since the Israeli invasion, Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas political leader, said in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday that his group would never agree a ceasefire plan that did not offer the ending of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The Israelis have said they will not accept a ceasefire that included an agreement on the blockade, and want a two-step solution - a ceasefire, then talks on any easing of restrictions.