UN acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan was deeply concerned about the deaths of more than 40 people in a US bombing raid in western Iraq and of Palestinians during an Israeli offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, a spokesman said.

"The High Commissioner wants to stress, for both of these incidents, that even though there might be security considerations and related concerns, there is no license to kill," UN spokesman Jose Diaz told journalists.

Ramcharan reiterated "the duty of protection of human rights even in time of armed conflict", he added.

The US military has acknowledged that 41 people were killed in an airstrike mid-week in western Iraq, insisting it had targeted foreign fighters in the desert.

But Iraqis, who said they lost friends and relatives, maintained the attack hit a village just outside the town of Qaim, on the Syrian border, where a wedding had been celebrated.

"The High Commissioner stresses the responsibility of the occupying forces to ensure the safety and welfare of Iraqi civilians and to refrain from excessive use of force and indiscriminate attacks," Diaz said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Friday withdrew most of its troops from Rafah, southern Gaza Friday, after tanks and helicopters were used this week to disperse a protest against an Israeli operation to raze dozens of homes there.

Ramcharan was "deeply disturbed by the consequences of Israel's recent military operations in the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah and the disproportionate use of force," Diaz said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia on Friday condemned the killing of Palestinian protestors by Israeli troops, calling the action "brutal and savage."

"We strongly condemn the killing and wounding of Palestinians who were demonstrating peacefully, many of whom were women and children," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said.

"Israel's brutal and savage action, which was further exacerbated by the demolition of Palestinian homes, is clearly against international law and must be stopped," he said.