UN expert warns Gaza rubble removal could erase evidence of atrocity crimes

Gaza’s rubble is not merely waste, Francesca Albanese warned. It may contain human remains and physical evidence needed to investigate alleged atrocity crimes, including genocide.

The United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories said Monday that she had received credible information from multiple sources about the “deliberate and widespread removal, crushing and transport of rubble” in areas under Israeli control. She warned that the consequences of the ongoing operations were profound because they could erase traces of crimes and prevent the recovery and identification of the dead.

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Gaza's rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to the investigation of alleged international crimes, including genocide.

Albanese cited estimates from Palestinian authorities that more than 10,000 people remain buried beneath the debris in Gaza. She pointed to the recovery last month of the remains of 112 members of one extended civilian family from buildings destroyed in Gaza City in November 2023. The remains of 41 others killed in the same strike were never found.

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It is part of a crime scene, a graveyard, and the material record of what happened during a brutal and senseless bombing campaign that lasted two years.

“It is part of a crime scene, a graveyard, and the material record of what happened during a brutal and senseless bombing campaign that lasted two years,” Albanese said. She called for the recovery and dignified identification of human remains, systematic documentation, preservation of relevant evidence and an unbroken chain of custody under independent oversight. She also urged international criminal investigators to supervise the work and warn countries and companies involved in rubble removal.

Israel’s full-scale war began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack inside Israel and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, says more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 1,330 since a ceasefire agreed last October. An AFP tally based on official Israeli figures puts the death toll from the Hamas attack at 1,221. Albanese has faced strong criticism from Israel and some allies over her accusations that Israel is committing genocide and other war crimes. She was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but does not speak for the United Nations.

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It is vital that before decisions are made on displacement or crushing by the occupying army or its allies, the recovery and dignified identification of human remains, systematic documentation of sites and materials, preservation of potentially relevant evidence, and an unbroken chain of custody under independent oversight must take place.