Ella said he had approached a number of individuals as potential candidates before issuing a statement on Monday that announced his decision to appoint three of them as commissioners.

A number of hours after the President's statement was issued,  Alamuddin, announced that she was not in a position to accept this role.

“The President of the Human Rights Council will decide on the way forward and on how to best support and strengthen the Commission of Inquiry in its activities,” according to on Tuesday's statement.

On 23 July, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution requesting to appoint a “commission of inquiry to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014.”

Heavily damaged buildings in Gaza. Photo: UNRWA Archives/Shareef Sarhan