The UN Security Council expressed its concern on Wednesday about the conclusions of a UN report which accused Israel of causing deaths, injuries and damage to UN personnel and property during its January Gaza offensive, said Vitaly Churkin, the Russian UN ambassador, who holds the rotating council presidency for May.

"The members of the council expressed their appreciation of the secretary-general commissioning of the (Ian) Martin report and informing members of the Security Council of its content," Churkin said in his remarks to the press here, referring to the UN Board of Inquiry.

"Council members expressed their concern about the findings of the report ... and (they) expressed general interest to be kept abreast of the matter as the secretary-general deems appropriate," Churkin added.

The report, which was commissioned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate nine of the most serious incidents during the Gaza offensive, is non-legally binding but recommended that action be taken to prevent future incidents from occurring.

The council meeting came at the request of Libya, a Security Council member, after Palestine, which has observer status only, lobbied them to have the council follow up on the board's recommendation for a further impartial investigation to assess responsibility and to purse accountability.

However, Israeli President Shimon Peres, in his visit to the UN Headquarters in New York last Wednesday, rejected as "outrageous, one-sided and unfair" the UN inquiry report, saying that his government does not accept "one word" of it.