Richard Goldstone, a South African judge and former chief prosecutor at the international criminal tribunals for ex-Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will head an independent mission to investigate alleged war crimes by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Gaza, the United Nations said on Friday.

The four-strong mission, which is due to leave for the region within the next few weeks, was mandated by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council in a resolution in January, amid a world outcry over the scale of civilian casualties during Israel’s three-week offensive against Hamas fighters in Gaza.