In a report published on Wednesday, the OHCHR provided details on six Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which it said were emblematic of a concerning pattern, involving the suspected use of up to 2,000-pound bombs on residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market.

The rights office said it had verified 218 deaths in those attacks, but said it had information indicating the number of fatalities “could be much higher”.

The OHCHR report concludes that the series of Israeli strikes, exemplified by the six attacks carried out between 9 October and 2 December, suggested that Israel’s military had “repeatedly violated fundamental principles of the laws of war”, the statement said.

AFP reports that among the attacks listed were the strikes on Ash Shujaiyeh neighbourhood, in Gaza City on 2 December last year. It caused destruction across an approximate diagonal span of 130 metres, destroying 15 buildings and damaging at least 14 others, it said.