UN warns Gaza rubble removal could destroy evidence of war crimes

Clearing Gaza’s rubble could erase evidence of war crimes, the United Nations has warned, raising fresh concern over how reconstruction will proceed while thousands of people remain buried beneath destroyed buildings.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said states and companies involved in removing the debris “could incur international criminal responsibility” if they destroy evidence of crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza. She said it was “unacceptable that the reconstruction of Gaza is conditioned upon the erasure of its past and the evidence required to secure justice for its victims”.

The warning comes two years after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take effective measures to prevent the destruction of evidence related to allegations under the Genocide Convention. The Israeli military carried out a large operation in August to clear, mix and transport millions of tonnes of rubble from multiple sites, including cemeteries and other locations where human remains are known to be present.

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could incur international criminal responsibility

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said last month that debris removal could amount to demographic engineering and the erasure of evidence of genocide. Palestinian authorities estimate that more than 8,000 people remain under the rubble, while many families are still searching for the remains of relatives. Israel continues to block heavy equipment and forensic supplies needed to recover bodies, the article says.

On Sunday, Palestinians in northern Gaza held funeral ceremonies for about 100 people whose remains had been recovered from destroyed buildings in Gaza City. The group included 60 children. Raed al-Dahshan, head of Gaza’s civil defence service, said recovery could take about 90 days with proper equipment, but years without it.

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It is unacceptable that the reconstruction of Gaza is conditioned upon the erasure of its past and the evidence required to secure justice for its victims