UNITED NATIONS, Aug 8: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday that the Israel’s attack on Qana may be part of “a pattern of violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed during the course of the current hostilities”.

In a report on the July 30 attack, in which some 56 people were reportedly killed, submitted to the Security Council, Mr Annan said that the July 30 attack was sufficiently serious to merit a more comprehensive investigation.

The attack should be seen “in the broader context of what could be, based on preliminary information available to the United Nations ... a pattern of violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law committed during the course of the current hostilities,” Mr Annan wrote.

The Security Council had asked Mr Annan last week to report back on the circumstances of the attack, when it approved a statement expressing its “extreme shock and distress” at the bombing. It deplored the loss of civilian life in the conflict.

In the six-page report, Mr Annan referred to the requests from Lebanon, the League of Arab States and the Non-Aligned Movement for a full investigation.

The report said the seven days Annan was given were not nearly enough for such a task, particularly because the war has made getting to Qana difficult and UN observers weren’t there when the attack occurred.

Initial accounts had said that some 56 people were killed in the attack. But the toll was later lowered by half. Of the 28 bodies pulled from the rubble, some 14 were children, Mr Annan said.

Mr Annan said the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known by its acronym UNIFIL, could not confirm or deny Israel’s contention that Hezbollah was launching attacks from Qana before the July 30 attack.

In a letter to Mr Annan accompanying the report, Israel claimed Qana was Hezbollah’s regional headquarters, contained weapons stockpiles, and was the site of 150 missile launches. The letter said Israel had repeatedly warned civilians in the town to clear out before it was bombed.