UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour condemned on Monday the killing of more than 50 civilians by Israeli bombing in the Lebanese town of Qana and called for an independent probe into the incident.

There is a need for "international expertise" in investigating the incident on Sunday, in which 54 people were killed, including 37 children, Arbour's office in Geneva said in a statement.

"In order to establish facts and conduct an impartial legal analysis ...the High Commissioner reiterated the need for independent investigations," the statement said.

"To this end, she advocated the active involvement of international expertise," it added.

The deaths in Qana have caused international outrage and Israel has said that it would conduct an inquiry into the incident.

"I call again on all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international law, and to take all measures to effectively protect civilians and civilian objects," Arbour said in the statement.