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JERUSALEM — Special legal teams will defend Israeli soldiers against possible war-crimes charges stemming from civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister said Sunday, promising the country would fully back those who fought in the three-week offensive.

The irritate reflected augmenting concerns by Israel that officers could be subject to international suit, despite the army’s claims that Hamas rebels caused the civilian casualties by means of staging attacks from residential areas.

“The state of Israel will fully back those who acted on its behalf,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared. “The soldiers and commanders who were sent on missions in Gaza must know that they are safe from various tribunals.”

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Olmert declared Israel’s justiciar minister would contribute a team of senior officials to coordinate the legal defense of anyone involved in the impertinent.

“That decision is not going to prevent total these organizations and countries to pursue their efforts through legal means,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said at talks with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. “So there is no right plane if the decision was taken by the Israeli government.”

Malki is a member of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ powers that be, whose authority extends single to the West Bank after competitor Hamas violently took over Gaza in 2007.

Israel launched its 22-day offensive to try to halt Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel. The assault killed 1,285 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights counted. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, were also killed.

At talks Sunday in Cairo aimed at solidifying the truce, Hamas official Ayman Taha said the Islamic dispose offered a one-year armistice to Israel, including the reopening of border crossings to spare paramount supplies into Gaza. He said Israel offered an 18-month truce, which Hamas rejected. Israeli officials refused to annotate.

In addition to the civilian death toll, Israel has faced international criticism on account of its appliance of white phosphorous, and for shelling attacks that struck United Nations schools and installations that were serving as shelters.

Israeli officials have said they took great efforts to avoid civilian casualties, and accused Hamas of deliberately using mosques, schools and residential neighborhoods for cover.

Israeli leaders have faced similar concerns in the gone by. In 2001, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was sued in Belgium over his alleged role in a 1982 massacre in Lebanon’session Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. He was never convicted.