The Israeli military says it has opened a criminal investigation into one of the deadliest air strikes of the last Gaza war.

At least 24 members of the Abu Jamea family were killed in the July 20 strike on their home.

They included 18 children between the ages of six months and nine years, according to death certificates obtained by reporters.

The apparent target was a local Hamas military commander.

The Israeli military said there was "reasonable suspicion" of a deviation from army procedure. The incident is among eight new investigations announced by the army.

Israeli human rights groups have demanded an independent investigation of the war, saying the army is not equipped to investigate itself.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.